238 New Troopers Join New York State Police Ranks
Awards Presented to Four Distinguished Graduates
Governor Hochul: "You go forth from here today as one of New York's peacemakers. You'll see things that you never thought possible. You'll see the depths of humanity at its lows, but you'll all have a chance to experience the greatest highs. That is the life that you have sought, the life that you worked so hard for. And with this graduation, it is a life that you've achieved that is extraordinary That to me is what public service is all about."
Hochul: "[N]ever lose that humanity, that compassion that so many people in their greatest time of need are going to see in you, and they don't want to just see a person in a uniform, they want to see and experience the heart and compassion of a human being. That's what I want my State Police to be known for in the State of New York and across the world. We're the best. We are the most highly trained, the most intelligent."
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul joined Acting Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli in honoring 238 new State Troopers as they graduated today from the 212th session of the Basic School of the New York State Police Academy. The ceremony was held at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany. Today's graduation increases the State Police ranks to 4,781 sworn members.
VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
AUDIO of the event is available here.
PHOTOS of the event are available on the Governor's Flickr page.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
Thank you very much. Superintendent Nigrelli for your extraordinary service to our State. Also, very proud to be joined by New York State Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, a great partner of mine in State government. Let's give him a round of applause. Trooper Andrew Young. That was one of the most beautiful renditions of our national anthem I've ever heard. That was spectacular. Thank you for gracing us with your talents.
Also, I want to recognize the class representative, Trooper Martin Szostak for obviously demonstrating the leadership among your peers for you to be selected to this preeminent position at this event. Reverend Carrera, thank you for reminding us of the presence of God in our lives and to whom we should be grateful every day.
Imam Yaki, you'll be hearing from - the Senior Resident Imam at the Islamic Center of the Capital District. Members of my administration have joined us, but also, I want to give a special shout out to Major Mike Eaton, the Director of Training, who we just heard from - dedicated 36 years of his life to making sure that our recruits were the finest, the most trained, and could continue the legacy of being part of the world's greatest law enforcement organization. So, I want to thank him for everything he has done. Let's give him a special round of applause.
It is also a joyous occasion, but also, we've received some very sad news this week about the loss of yet another member of our State Police family. I'll be attending the funeral Friday of New York State Police Captain Christopher Garrow, who leaves a wife and two children. He passed away from his illness, stemming away from his desire to be on the ground after 911, so many people went there believing that they were just working to help save lives, to help with recovery, to bring closure to families, little knowing that they're exposed to contagions that could follow them literally over 20 years later, lead to their early death. He served us for 23 years.
And as you celebrate your graduation today, remember that you stand on the shoulders of individuals who were brave and courageous, who sat in your very seats a number of years ago, over two decades ago. So, let's honor him with your service, and that is what I'm calling you to do as well. So, this is the 212th graduating class.
That means you are part of a proud family, and as the Governor of the State of New York, I could not be prouder to know that you are willing to step up. And I first of all want to give recognition to your families. I see a lot of beaming faces out there, proud moms and dads and brothers and sisters and partners and spouses, and some cases, children - who I believe must have at some point, maybe at the dinner table, maybe in your conversations as a teenager - put a spark in you that brought you to this place today because this is available for everyone to apply to. But so few stand up and raise their hand and said, "I want to be a member of an organization that is dedicating to saving the lives of protecting people who are my neighbors across this State."
So, to the parents, thank you. And I want to extend the appreciation of your children who may be sitting here today. On behalf of all of us, let's give the parents, the families, the grandparents, and everybody a huge round of applause.
And this is an elite group of individuals, 4,100 people apply to be sitting here today. Only 1,200 were actually processed. And now we have 238 of you sitting here. Don't take for granted what you've just achieved. That is incredible.
You come from every corner of this great State, and I've pretty much covered every corner of this great State, so I know the communities from which you hail, and it's incredible to know that there are such dedicated individuals all over New York who are willing to do what you've done.
I get a chance to do a little hometown shout out to Mark Kirst. The Kirst family is well known in my hometown of Hamburg, so I'm sorry to embarrass you, Mark, but if your family's here, know that my family's certainly knew many of the elders of your family, those my age a long time ago in school.
A number of you also are veterans. Over 30 of you already answered the call of service to your country. Perhaps some of you were in conflict during the Iraq Wars, the Afghanistan Wars, or even other parts of the world, which are in danger today. So, I thank you for your commitment to serving our country, but now serving the people of our State, and actually 63 of you actually served in other police forces. Again, bringing the talents that you've learned at the local level, your city police, municipal police departments, and bringing them to serve the people of our State.
So, I want to talk about what my expectations as your Governor are of you. I want to continue to make sure that people look at individuals, whether they meet you on a highway, on a dark night after there's been an accident and there's a baby crying in the backseat, and parents are just traumatized. You're the car that's going to pull up not knowing what lies ahead, putting yourself in danger on a dark, rainy night. But when you open the door, you'll be the face of hope, the face of life, the face of survival to someone in need, or whether you're responding to an overdose in someone's home, and you have to meet the traumatized parents of someone who just succumbed to probably fentanyl these days. You'll also be trained in not just how to respond to situations, but how to respond at a very human level.
So, I'm encouraging you, asking you to never lose that humanity, that compassion that so many people in their greatest time of need are going to see in you, and they don't want to just see a person in a uniform, they want to see and experience the heart and compassion of a human being. That's what I want my State Police to be known for in the State of New York and across the world. We're the best. We are the most highly trained, the most intelligent. What you've been through, you can probably graduate from law school with higher grades than I did. Because I know you've had so much to have to learn about the penal code, all the laws of the State. I know how grueling the PT has been, the early morning exercises and the loss of connection to your family for six solid months, six months away from your loved ones. What a sacrifice for them. I've had a chance to talk to so many members of my detail of what that was like.
They couldn't wait till Friday nights. It was like a birthday, a great celebration. They get to go home and be embraced in the arms of their loved ones. But on Sundays, they had that dreaded, "Oh my gosh. It's Monday, back to school," feeling that much of us still remember from our youth, and yet you did it. You're ready for this. You are so ready. This is your calling. You answered when so few were willing to, and that is extraordinary. I do look forward to adding more to the ranks, more women, more diverse individuals, to truly reflect the State of New York. That's why we are literally doubling the number of individuals who will be going to graduations just like this next year.
That is important to me. We need more of you because we're living in turbulent times. There's a lot of mistrust among communities and law enforcement, and you are the individuals who every single day are going to get up and break down those barriers. So, at the end of your time as a State Police officer, decades from now, and you'll go through many opportunities, I want you to look back at this time, think about that excitement you felt sitting here today - nervous, of course, but when you get out of here and embrace your loved ones and know what you've accomplished, never lose that sense of awe that you're experiencing right now.
That, "My God, I actually made it." I'm able to fulfill my dream, something I've thought about a long time. Don't lose that sense of awe, but know at the end of your tenure, you'll have left this place better, safer, a place where people learned how to understand the challenge that you also go through, but the depth of compassion that you brought to others. And never forget that in Matthew we're told, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall inherit the earth." You go forth from here today as one of New York's peacemakers.
You'll see things that you never thought possible. You'll see the depths of humanity at its lows, but you'll all have a chance to experience the greatest highs. That is the life that you have sought, the life that you worked so hard for. And with this graduation, it is a life that you've achieved that is extraordinary, and I thank you for stepping up and knowing that at the end of your lives when you're asked to justify your existence on this planet, you'll be able to say, "I made a difference."
It's that simple. That to me is what public service is all about. That's why I'm here. That's why so many people step up and answer the call, but no one will have done it in a way as profound as all of you willing to take the risks as part of an organization over 200 years old.
But also, be sure through your service in which you do every day, that you honor the 161 individuals who also wore the uniform, who expected to get home at the end of the day and did not return. Don't forget those souls. By becoming the most extraordinary police officer that the State could ever expect you honor them, and you honor all of us.
Thank you. Thank you for what you've achieved today.
Congratulations to every single one of you, and may God keep you safe. Thank you.
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