Suffolk police holds virtual graduation for 70 recruits

The Suffolk County Police Department livestreamed a socially distanced virtual graduation ceremony Friday for 70 new officers because of the coronavirus.
Missing the traditional pomp and circumstance of a police academy graduation ceremony, there was no pipes band playing, no officers striding across a stage and shaking the hands of top police officials and no cheering crowd of family and friends for the department’s 178th recruit class.
Instead of gathering in a packed auditorium, the new officers stood at attention in their dress blues -- wearing medical-grade face masks -- feet away from one another in small groups across eight classrooms at the police academy in Brentwood. Deputy Insp. John Hanley, the commanding officer of the academy, stood at a lectern as master of ceremonies in another area of the academy.
Miles away at county government headquarters in Hauppauge, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart swapped spots at a lectern — removing their face masks before speaking — to address the graduates and the more than 700 live viewers. The video was viewed 25,000 times as of Friday.
“We are joining you in a very different way to recognize and celebrate this occasion with you,” said Hart, acknowledging the virtual ceremony. “These are anything but normal conditions, and after much deliberation, we decided to celebrate your success in a way that allows your family and friends to share your day …I say to you, welcome to your moment.”
Sixty-four of the 70 graduates are Suffolk police officers, while the six other recruits are joining the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office and police departments in Southold and East Hampton towns. Sixty percent of the officers have prior law enforcement experience and 42 of the officers have a college degree, the department said.
Of the 70, there are 50 white men, seven white women, 10 Hispanic men, two Hispanic women and one Asian man, according to the department. The class had no African-Americans.
Class President Ashley Corriss spoke, recounted the physical and mental demands they endured over 30 weeks and 1,000 hours of training beginning last October. On the first day, she remembered, instructors were “yelling at us, critiquing us and challenging us.”
“They were helping us grow into strong individuals, mentally and physically from the first moment we arrived,” Corriss said. “They were helping us develop courage and the ability to conquer whatever challenges we would face in the next seven months.”
She said the class consisted of barbers, teachers, insurance agents, prior law enforcement officers, chefs, retail associates, sanitation workers, auto mechanics, flight attendants and students — a diversity of experience, she said, which strengthened them.
The recruits delivered food to emergency room workers at Stony Brook Hospital last week and will hit the streets in a coronavirus enforcement detail, which the department dubbed TEC teams or “Together Enforcing Compliance” in an effort to ensure the public social distances and unauthorized businesses remain closed, officials said.
Bellone thanked the new officers for stepping forward to serve their community.
“This is not the way that we expect to be gathering of course,” said Bellone. “We know the way that we operate and move and do things in our community and society has been turned upside down in many ways over the last couple of months as we respond to this global pandemic, but I’m very glad today that we’re able to do this graduation differently, to gather together to celebrate this achievement.”
Hart was joined by Deputy Police Commissioner Risco Mention-Lewis and Chief of Department Stuart Cameron as Cameron gave the class a final salute, explaining that he and the others would normally shake their hands.
“Obviously during these times, we’re unable to do that, so I’d like to congratulate you all on your accomplishments and welcome you to the patrol division,” Cameron said. “Salutes are still allowed, so I’d like to call you to attention.
The kind of ebullient auditorium audience that would be expected pre-coronavirus, was replaced via written comments under the live feed: “Congrats and stay safe out there,” one viewer wrote.
Another chimed in: “Woot! Woot! Congrats To all! Especially Officer Sergio Rivera!”
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