Police recruit who died honored at NYPD graduation

There was one cop missing from Monday’s NYPD police academy graduation ceremony. But Police Officer Edgar Ordonez was there in spirit, and he will likely remain in the hearts and minds of the 626 police officers who took the oath of office as they begin their careers in blue. 

Ordonez, a 32-year-old recruit, who was set to join his fellow Finest at Madison Square Garden’s graduation and then on a city beat, collapsed July 10 at the NYPD’s training facility in the Bronx’s Rodman’s Neck section and was pronounced dead shortly afterward.

Following a moment of silence to honor Ordonez at the outset of the graduation, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said his death “shocked and saddened us all.” 

“On this day to celebrate and look forward to all that is to come, we are grieving what never was. Edgar was taken far too soon. Before we even knew the difference he was about to make in our city, he joined this department to change people's lives for the better. For all who knew him, he did exactly that,” Caban said. 

Police Officer Recruit Edgar Ordonez

The commissioner urged the newly minted cops to make that good difference. “As you go out each day to finish the work that he started, remember him and know that Edgar will always be watching over his brothers and sisters in blue,” Caban said. 

Those in the officer class who will seek to duplicate Ordonez’s example reflect the city’s diversity, the commissioner said. Thirty-seven percent of the graduates are Latino, 25 percent are white, 20 percent are Black and 15 percent are Asian, the NYPD said. As of April, 41 percent of police officers were white, 32 percent were Hispanic, 16 percent were Black and 11 percent were Asian.

Caban noted that among this rookie class 150 were born in 33 other countries and more than a dozen other languages are spoken. “You represent the rich diversity that makes our city great,” the commissioner said. 

Nearly 70 percent of the new cops are city residents, significantly more than the 50 percent than the graduating classes of five years ago, which reflects the department’s effort to recruit those who live in the five boroughs. “Now, our cops represent the people and the neighborhoods we serve more than ever,” Caban said. This makes you better at your job. It makes us a more effective department. It makes our community safer. In the end, that's why we're all here.

As of June 6, the department counted 33,943 officers, including this week’s rookie class. 

Two other academy classes are scheduled to begin this year, including another of about 600 recruits this month. 

— Richard Khavkine