NYPD commissioner says 25% of new officers are immigrants, recruitment rebounding

A quarter of NYPD officers who joined the ranks this week were born outside of the United States, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

The diverse class of nearly 1,000 officers is the largest in nearly a decade, Tisch added during her appearance on "Good Day New York." Tisch has been highlighting the diversity of the incoming class of rookie officers amid heightened anxiety around the Trump administration’s treatment of immigrants.

She also said the recruitment struggles that have been plaguing the NYPD for years appear to be easing.

“I have felt for some time now, in policing in general but particularly at the NYPD, we’re beginning to have the wind at our backs, rather than our faces,” she said.

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been touting plans to hire thousands of new police officers if he is elected. John Hall, a former NYPD executive who authored a report this week on police staffing and crime levels, said those promises indicate a misunderstanding of the department’s recruitment problems.

“I don't even think that's the actual question that we're dealing with at this point because the budgeted head count is about 35,000 and the police department is having trouble getting there,” Hall said in an interview.

The NYPD currently has roughly 34,000 officers.

“ If it was possible, I would imagine she would do it,” he said of Tisch. “If you want to increase the head count by 5,000 cops, that's a pretty tall task.”

Tisch acknowledged the NYPD's recruitment problems.

“For about five years, we really didn’t have very many applicants, people who wanted to raise their hand and become police officers. But it’s great to see we’re starting to get them now,” she said on FOX.

Of the 965 new officers who were sworn in Wednesday, 51 were born in the Dominican Republic, 44 in Bangladesh and 23 in Haiti, according to figures provided by the NYPD. Hundreds of the officers speak more than one language. In total, members of the class speak a total of 39 different languages, according to the figures.

NYPD officers are a racially diverse group, according to statistics from the Civilian Complaint Review Board. White officers make up the majority of the force at 37%, followed closely by Hispanic officers, who make up more than 33% of the force. Black officers total nearly 17% of the ranks and Asian officers represent more than 11%, according to the figures.

In February, Tisch and Mayor Eric Adams said the department would ease eligibility requirements to attract more recruits. As part of the plan, the department lowered the number of college credits required to enter the department's Police Academy. It also reinstated a fitness test that requires recruits to complete a 1.5 mile run in about 14 minutes.