The NYPD is preparing to kick-off the return of its summer youth employment program with its biggest season yet.
About 500 civilian and uniformed members of the NYPD arrived at the New York City Police Academy located 130-30 28th Ave in Queens on June 2 for orientation and training in preparation for the program. Sitting inside the building’s gymnasium, the servicemen and women will be serving as mentors for over 770 young people over a six-week period beginning in July.
This program not only looks to provide youth with a paying summer job while giving them meaningful life and work experiences within various sectors of the NYPD, but it also sees officers serving parental figures for at-risk teens. For many within the department, the initiative is an opportunity to showcase the human beings behind the thin blue line and change how they are perceived for generations to come.
Domingo Corporan Jr. knows this all too well. He joined the summer youth employment program in 2021 and cherished his experiences so much so that became a Cadet this year.
Through his time in the program, Corporan told amNewYork Metro that he has learned a great deal.
“This is a great program to actually see the human side of the badge. A lot of people don’t really understand that NYPD officers are human, they do have feelings, and everyone is emotional. It’s really not what the media always paints it to be. NYPD is a really, really great agency. They take care of you, they treat you like family and I felt that since I joined the program last year,” Corporan said.
This is something that Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell echoed herself. With the mentors to-be taking their seats and looking to the top cop for guidance, Sewell drove home the potential positive impact each person in the room could have on the life of their interns.
“You are a walking, talking billboard for this Police Department. What you say, the impact you have on the lives of these youth will carry with them for the years to come. It is so important, please take it seriously. These types of programs help forge stronger bonds and is a part of our greater vision for the future of this police department,” Sewell said.
Every year the NYPD collaborates with the Department of Youth and Community Development, and for the oncoming summer they are looking to hire over 770 individuals between the ages of 16 and 21. The experience includes working with everything from the photography department and police forensic artists to aiding the commissioner herself.
Alden Foster, the Director of Youth Services and Community Engagement at the NYPD Community Affairs Bureau, believes it is the perfect opportunity for youth to understand how the NYPD serves as a vital part of public safety while also making lifelong friends. Additionally, Foster states that it allows young people to keep busy over the summer and keeps them off the streets.
“What we’re doing this year, which is different in previous years, we’re going to partner with the Lexington School of the Deaf. We have a total of 32 deaf and hard of hearing young people that we’re going to take in the department. They’re going to be placed with our members of the department that are either deaf, fully deaf or know sign language. So, it’s going to give the NYPD a great opportunity to be able to collaborate and work with the deaf and hard of hearing community,” Foster said.
The mentors will undergo training at the police academy until the summer youth employment program begins in July.
