Int 0045-2004

Be it enacted by the Council as follows: Section 1. Declaration of Legislative Intent and Findings. The New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) currently requires entering officers to have completed 60 credits of college education or two years of military service before appointment to the force. Although the 60 credit educational requirement strives to accomplish the commendable goal of making the NYPD more professional, it also effectively restricts the pool of quality recruits to the Department, many of whom are New York City residents. To accommodate both the goal of making the NYPD more professional and to encourage potentially successful candidates who do not have two years military experience or 60 college credits to join the force, the Council believes that restructuring the admission requirement to allow for the completion of 60 college credits within the first five years of appointment would encourage a number of New York City residents to apply for a position with the NYPD. The Council further believes that this restructuring will allow a greater number of applicants to become members of the force as well as set the foundation for having more City residents among the supervisory ranks. The Council also believes that the recruitment of City residents would enhance the diversity of the NYPD, create the potential for better police-community relations and increase the stake that officers have in policing this City. § 2. Section 14-109 of the administrative code of the city of New York is hereby amended to add a new subdivision (c) to read as follows: § 14-109 Qualifications of members of force; publishing names and residence of applicants and appointees; probation * * * c. A person shall be appointed or reappointed to membership in the police force who is a resident of the city of New York at the time of appointment or reappointment, and who has been a resident of the city of New York for three consecutive years prior to the time of appointment or reappointment, and who does not meet the educational requirement of having obtained sixty college credits. Such person, in order to continue to hold membership in the police force, must obtain the sixty college credits by the end of the fifth year as a member of the police force, and such person must remain a resident of the city of New York during the first five years as a member of the police force. Nothing herein shall prevent the commissioner from exercising discretion to waive the sixty college credit requirement for certain officers. § 3. This local law shall take effect 120 days after it is enacted into law.