Today, 1,093 new recruits are entering the NYPD Police Academy, the largest class in nearly a decade. Together with the classes we welcomed in January and April, this year already marks the most new NYPD recruits hired in nearly 20 years. And with the next upcoming class, we are on pace to have the most hires in a single year in recorded history, going back to 1983. That scale is not just a measure of hiring — it’s a measure of renewal. It tells us that policing in this city is being rebuilt, that the call to service is being answered, and that the future of public safety is being secured by those who chose to raise their right hand this morning.  This momentum is not an accident, and it’s not a one-off. It’s a deliberate, determined push to confront the hiring crisis we faced just months ago. Because the truth is simple: this city’s safety depends on its cops. And the most strategic thing we can do right now is hire more of them. This is a defining moment for the NYPD — and for New York City. Congratulations to our newest recruits, and welcome to the NYPD.

Out of tragedy, a new life has entered this world. Last night, Jamila Islam, the wife of Detective First Grade Didarul Islam, gave birth to their beautiful son, Arham. Arham joins his two big brothers, Ahyan and Azhaan. Together, they will carry forward their father’s legacy of service and courage — a legacy the NYPD will guard and uphold with the same devotion Didar gave to this city. Jamila, Ahyan, Azhaan, and now, Arham will forever be part of the NYPD family.

Officer Didarul Islam was called to New York City by the promise of a better life. He fulfilled that promise through service.   But it was the man beneath the shield — steady in spirit, generous in presence — who left the deeper imprint.   Everything for him was about building something — for his family, his mosque, his adopted city, and his relatives back in Bangladesh. They were all in his care, and he found peace in watching them grow.   Officer Islam’s journey is now stitched into the fabric of this city: the hope of an immigrant, the strength of a family, the quiet resolve to serve the place that had taken him in and made him its own.   There’s a belief in Islam — Sadaqah Jariyah — that the good we do in this world doesn’t end when we do. That there is true power in good deeds, and a life of service leaves a lasting trace.   Officer Islam’s watch may be over. But his impact will never be.   In the NYPD, there are certain honors that carry deep meaning — not because they mark a destination, but because they speak to the path it took to get there. To the service given, the sacrifices made, and the legacy left behind.   So today, it is my honor and great privilege to promote Police Officer Didarul Islam to Detective First Grade.   Detective First Grade is one of this department’s most respected honors — a symbol of trust, excellence, and the kind of judgment others depend on.   And while Detective First Grade Didarul Islam didn’t have the time to walk that full path, he embodied those qualities and more — steadiness, selflessness, and a commitment to serve.   May his memory be a blessing.