They’re known as the class that almost wasn’t. At least that’s how it seemed for the week Mayor Michael Bloomberg deferred hiring the latest batch of New York City Police Department recruits because of uncertainty about funding. But by mid-June, 275 men and women were hitting the policy academy gym as well as the books.

Each of them had their reasons. Some saw things growing up in the city that didn’t sit well with them.

“When I used to walk around, you used to see a lot of crack vials on the ground. That’s one thing that bothered me as a kid,” said NYPD recruit Jorge Bermudez.

“Where I came from and how I was treated. Coming home from school and stuff like that. There was a lot of unfairness going on in my neighborhood,” said NYPD recruit Eric Smith.
Police Academy: Making the Cut, Part 1

For others, it was fulfilling what they felt was a calling, wanting to try something different.

NYPD recruit Jaclyn Keane was a lawyer before joining the force.

“It’s not the office anymore. It’s a life and death job and you have to make sure you give 100 percent,” Keane said.

NYPD recruit George Ng is fresh out of college, where he studied finance. But it was his work as a police cadet that drew him in.

“Being a police cadet exposed me to the culture and the values of the department,” Ng said. “It not only instilled discipline in me but taught me what being a police officer entails.
Police Academy: Making the Cut, Part 1

Discipline was just one requirement for making it through six months of training, a time of transformation.

“You’re no longer a private citizen. You’re a police officer. Walking down the street in our uniform, people look at you,” Keane said.

“We’re held to a higher standard,” Smith said. “We have to make sure we stay professional and keep our head up, mouth closed. Do the right thing.”

Learning to do the right thing and hoping they remember what they’ve learned when it really counts is just part of the NYPD training experience instructors hope will extend beyond the academy.