Opt In NYC

Within the NYPD, there are many different jobs for civilians that span almost every profession —from doctors to lawyers to mechanics. Bronx native Titus Thomas works as a graphic artist for the Creative Services Section, which produces internal and external communications materials for the department. Titus talks about what it's like to be a civilian inside NYPD, and some of the work that has defined his career.

Meet Detectives Delacy and McLaughlin, two seasoned investigators who help solve violent crime as part of the Crime Stoppers Squad. They explain how the anonymous tip line works to keep New York City safe for all New Yorkers. Crime Stoppers is a valuable tool in the NYPD’s shared responsibility philosophy, by incentivizing residents to help protect their neighborhoods.

A couple of years ago, Inspector Faison was welcomed in as the Commanding Officer of the NYPD's Youth Strategies Division. Today, he works at the NYPD Community Center in East New York, the neighborhood where he grew up, and oversees youth programming, including an aviation program that he teaches.

Lt. Perez shares his experiences as a pilot in NYPD's Aviation Unit, where for ten years he had a bird's eye view of New York City. Today Lt. Perez works as the operations coordinator at the NYPD Community Center in East New York,

New York City high school teacher Mandy Pabon offers the Options.nyc program to her students as part of a community service program in New York City public schools. She sees the Options curriculum as a powerful tool to teach empathy to young people, as well as a way overcome divisiveness within local communities.

Meet Lt. Michael Almonte of the NYPD's Youth Services Division. As a teen, he had negative experiences with police, but that all changed when a cop in his neighborhood helped him realize his potential. Today, Lt. Almonte works with young people both on and off the job. He volunteers as a mentor for the New York City non-profit, Student Sponsor Partners, and has recruited more than 300 NYPD cops to become mentors. His personal Instagram account, LieutanantMike, aims to bridge the divide between New York City cops and the community..

When a position opened for a Sergeant in the NYPD's Transit Bureau K-9 Unit, Sgt. Marc Richardson jumped at the chance to apply. Today, he and his partner, K-9 Robert Venable, or Ven for short, help keep the subways safe.

After a traumatic childhood experience, Police Officer Casandra Pagan was inspired to become a cop. She spent the first part of her career as a youth officer, where she mentored a number of Bronx youths. Today, she helps provide important resources for the NYPD's cops and civilians in the Health and Wellness Unit.

Our hosts talk with Officer Richardson, a Neighborhood Coordination Officer (NCO) from the 100th Precinct in Rockaway Beach, New York. NCO Richardson discusses some of the hot-button issues surrounding policing today, including training, neighborhood policing, and funding vs. defunding the police.

The Civilian Complaint Review Board is an oversight agency in New York City that investigates civilian complaints of police misconduct. In this episode, Yohaira Alvarez, the Director of Outreach and Governmental Affairs for CCRB, explains how the agency is structured and how their investigations work.