Facebook Live
The police academy’s latest graduating class.
Sixteen recruits graduated from the city’s police academy to become rookie cops during a ceremony held partly online, partly in-person at Hillhouse High School.
That hybrid graduation ceremony took place Friday afternoon.
Sixteen recruits — 14 men and two women — from the XXIV-2020 academy class received their diplomas and badges as they took their oaths “to strive to use the power entrusted in [them] … for the best interest of the City.”
As roughly 150 viewers watched along remotely on Facebook Live, the 16 new academy graduates joined nine other members of the local police department, including the chief and assistant chiefs, on the stage of an otherwise empty Hillhouse High School auditorium.
Flag-bearing members of the New Haven Honor Guard, present and dressed in full uniform, stood behind the podium for the duration of the ceremony.
After completing 30 weeks of training, the graduates will now enter a Field Training Officer program, the next step as they advance towards becoming full-fledged officers.
Although family members, friends, and loved ones were absent from the auditorium, the proceedings retained all the pomp and circumstance of a fully in-person ceremony.
Lt. Robert Maturo watched from the podium as the recruits walked down the aisles to the tune of a pre-recorded bagpipe and drum line processional.
In July, these sixteen recruits were selected from hundreds of applicants and have since gone through what Maturo called “the most tough, comprehensive, and diverse training program in the country.”
Chaplain John Revell delivered an opening Invocation and closing Benediction, in which he said that “each of the graduates today are wonderful gifts from [God].”
Chief Reyes addresses the new graduates.
Next, outgoing Police Chief Otoniel Reyes delivered an a cappella rendition of the national anthem, after which he addressed the graduates from the podium.
He began by noting the exceptional circumstances during which this class went through their training and thanking the graduates’ families and loved ones for their support throughout the process.
“Today, you join the largest fraternity in the world and consummate one of the most important decisions of your lives. Today, you take the blue pill,” said Reyes, making a reference to the 1999 movie The Matrix. “An arduous six months of law enforcement training have prepared you for a lifetime of public service … [in] a department that is a beacon of light for police departments nationwide.”
“Between Covid-19 and a country in unrest, all of which put great stress on community policing … there has never been a period of time more chaotic than 2020,” added Lt. Maturo. “But these graduates stood fast and stayed with the course. If that’s not dedication, I don’t know what is.”
“The Knight’s Watch”
Ismail Abdussabur at the podium.
Each class in the Police Academy has a class leader, a recruit designated as a liaison between the other recruits and the police administration.
Class Leader Daniel McDuffie and Assistant Class Leader Ismail Abdussabur delivered remarks to their fellow graduates.
They recalled specific moments from the course of their training. Many of moments involved the physical challenges of the course and the process of getting to know their peers over their six months together.
The group adopted the nickname “The Knight’s Watch” and an emblem depicting a spartan helmet and two crossed swords for themselves.
Abdussabur harkened back to the group’s second week of training. “Those days that made us are the days that will bond us forever,” he said. “The strongest bond is forged by shared pain and suffering.”
Following McDuffie and Abdussadur’s remarks, the online video feed switched to a seven-and-a-half minute recorded video showcasing clips and images from the graduates’ time in training.
Set to rock music, the video highlighted the physical elements of the training process.
A clip showed the recruits dragging each other along the beach at Lighthouse Point and crawling through a muddy obstacle course at the police academy in Newhallville.
Multiple clips showed the recruits using guns during their firearm training at a shooting range as well as lifting weights and using exercise machines at the academy.
Video showed recruits pepper spraying each other in the face from inches away and wrestling on the ground while wearing boxing gear.
Near the end of the video, a photo showed bullet casings arranged on the floor to spell out “XXIV,” the class’s identification number.
In one clip, a recruit screamed and fell to the ground as he was tased by a peer.
The lyrics “I’m a soldier” played on the video soundtrack.
Mayor: “Not Warriors, Not Soldiers”
Mayor Justin Elicker spoke following the class video.
In his remarks, he emphasized the timely nature of the ceremony, noting that this class was graduating in a historical moment where law enforcement has never been under more scrutiny across America and here in New Haven.
“Now is a very difficult time to be a police officer,” he said.
Elicker highlighted compassion as an essential quality for this class to exhibit as they assumed the duties of an officer.
“You are the guardians of the community,” said Elicker. “Not warriors, not soldiers, but guardians. It’s easy to feel that use of force is one of the most important aspects of the job. However, success is not measured by use of force but by how effectively you can not use it … your duty to protect the community is very complicated, but you will learn and grow if you decide to use compassion.”
Elicker’s speech echoed remarks made by Police Commissioner Evelise Ribeiro earlier in the ceremony. “Effective law enforcement and social justice must be pursued together in our efforts against crime,” said Ribiero.
After Elicker administered the oath to the recruits, they were called to the podium one at a time to receive their diplomas and badges from Chief Reyes.
“Although the seats out there are empty, what’s still palpable is the emotion and celebration of your loved ones,” said Reyes.
As soon as every graduate had received their badge, the class broke from their perfect posture and right angles and embraced each other in congratulations, sharing in their celebration.
“Now, we go from a controlled environment to an uncontrollable world,” said Abdussabur. “From a familiar building to an unfamiliar city.”
Below is a full list of Friday’s graduates.
Ismail Abdussabur
Trevor Canace
Derek Z. Cohen, Jr.
David DeRubeis
Jonathan Faya-Sanchez
Shadat Hossain
Justin Julianelle
Radim Kunz
Joshua Lewis
Daniel McDuffie
Alethia Moore
Andrew Natale
Aldo Ojeda
Kaelyn Sheehy
Daniel Smith
Nicolas Zullo
Academic Excellence Award: Trevor Canace
Letter of Recognition, for constant enthusiasm: Jonathan Faya-Sanchez
Physical Fitness Award: Daniel McDuffie
Firearms Recognition Award: Trevor Canace
Leadership Potential Award: Ismail Abdussabur