New class of Suffolk police recruits sworn in

A new class of Suffolk County police officers was sworn in Monday.

Sixty-eight officers took the oath at a small ceremony at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood. The last ceremony was held October 2013.

Almost three-fourths, or 49 members, of the 165th class are white men. Eight are white women, six are Hispanic men and one is a Hispanic woman. There are three African-American men and one Asian man.

About 43 percent, or 29, of the new recruits have prior policing experience and 44 percent have at least a bachelor's degree.

More than 24,000 applicants took the last exam, which is administered every four years, Deputy Chief Kevin Fallon said.

The new hires will go into the academy. Of the 2,354 now serving, 2,075 or 88 percent, are white. Fallon said the department hired seven fluent Spanish speakers and wants to "reflect the communities we serve." Suffolk's force is 8 percent Hispanic, 2.5 percent black and 1.1 percent Asian/Pacific Islander.

The department has an active consent agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to increase minority hiring.

A former NYPD officer for 71/2 years, Jordan Harvin, 28, of Amityville, decided to join Suffolk because, "I want to be able to protect where I'm from."

Woo Chang Kim was just about to graduate from the New York City Police Academy when Suffolk police called him two weeks ago.

Kim, 31, of Flushing, Queens, said he didn't think twice about going through retraining. "It's a great opportunity," he said.

Tiffany Torres, 28, of Islip Terrace and a former Air Force police officer, said she joined because Suffolk is her home, and, "We want to make sure the community is safe and do it respectfully." The next exam is scheduled for June 2015.