Yesterday, we named the community room in the 116th Precinct after Bess DeBetham, a woman who spent more than 50 years fighting for her community and never letting people forget the promises made to them.
When funding for creating this precinct was pulled during the pandemic, Bess refused to back down. She stood firm in the belief that the people of Southeast Queens require the full attention of their city.
Now, her name will live inside this building permanently — a reminder that this precinct exists because one woman believed her neighborhood deserved better and never stopped fighting until they got it.
Crime in New York City continues to fall to historic levels:
➡️ Fewest murders ever recorded through the first four months of the year — and for the month of April
➡️ Major crime down 9.5%
➡️ Shooting incidents and victims down double digits compared to last April
➡️ Retail theft in April plunged nearly 18% citywide
This progress is driven by our precision policing strategy: targeting illegal guns, concentrating officers in the places driving violence, and building cases against the crews responsible. The men and women of the NYPD are executing that work remarkably, and the results are clear across the city.
Policing puts you in the middle of situations you didn’t create, often in some of people’s hardest moments. It requires you to act with judgment, composure, and courage.
Yesterday, we promoted members of this department at every level who do that remarkable work to keep our city safe. But a promotion is more than a recognition of what you’ve already done, it’s also a statement of confidence in what comes next.
Congratulations to all who were promoted!
Here is video of the heroic actions that members of the @nypd took this morning to rescue children and adults from a burning home in Queens.
They were hurt. They had just been thrown to the ground by an explosion.
And in that moment, with no clear sense of what else they might be walking into, they made the decision to keep moving forward.
Their focus stayed exactly where it needed to be: on the people inside, on getting those children out, and on making sure that situation didn’t claim innocent lives.
Today, we added 103 more names to the NYPD’s Hall of Heroes — forever etching their legacies into the history of this department.
When a name is placed here, it joins a line of NYPD members who made the decision to serve this city knowing what that choice could cost them.
These walls signify what that sacrifice has meant across nearly two centuries. Long after assignments change and tours end, these names will stay here as a reminder of what it means to answer this noble calling.
May the memories of these 103 fallen heroes, and of everyone we’ve lost over the years, forever be a blessing.
Detective Anastasios Tsakos was a dedicated cop, a loving husband and father, and a devoted friend who gave his life protecting this city.
Five years after he was killed in the line of duty, we are continuing to tell the extraordinary story of this @nypd hero with the unveiling of “Detective Anastasios Tsakos Way” in Astoria, just steps from where he lived.
This roadway will forever serve as a reminder of his service and his sacrifice. May his memory continue to be a blessing.
Today’s sentence of Guy Rivera for the murder of Detective Jonathan Diller means Rivera will spend the rest of his life in prison. That is obviously the right result, for him and for anyone who kills a New York City Police Officer.
May Detective First Grade Jonathan Diller’s memory continue to be a blessing to Stephanie and Ryan, and Jonathan’s brothers and sisters in blue at the New York City Police Department.
Joining the @nypd is the noblest calling there is, and yesterday we welcomed 1,079 new recruits to the Police Academy.
With this new class, we are building on the success of 2025, when we had the largest hiring year on record.
This kind of growth reflects a renewed confidence in this profession and in the people who choose it — people who understand the dangers and the sacrifices that this job requires and bravely step forward anyway.
Congratulations, and welcome to the NYPD!
Policing is unpredictable and unrelenting. Cops are put in situations most people will never have to face — moments where there is no stepping back and no standing by.
This morning’s promotion ceremony honored and recognized those members of the @nypd who have shown exceptional dedication to this work. When New Yorkers call, they answer every time, without knowing what is on the other end.
Congratulations to all who were promoted today, and thank you for everything you give to keep New York City safe.
