Press Release Archives - 592-96 Slain NYPD Officer

Archives of the Mayor's Press Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: November 18, 1996

Release #592-96

Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958 or Dwight Williams (212) 788-2972

MAYOR GIULIANI AND POLICE COMMISSIONER SAFIR HONORS THE MEMORY OF SLAIN NYPD OFFICER NARVAEZ AT THE NYPD'S HISPANIC HERITAGE IN POLICING CEREMONY

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Police Commissioner Howard Safir today officiated at the New York City Police Department Hispanic Heritage in Policing Ceremony at One Police Plaza. This year's celebration of the many contributions Latino officers have made is sponsored by the Department's Hispanic Society and is dedicated to the memory of Lt. Federico Narvaez who was shot and killed in the line of duty last month. Joining Mayor Giuliani and Police Commissioner Safir were First Deputy Police Commissioner Tosano Simonetti, Deputy Commissioner for Community Affairs Yolanda Jimenez, Detective Wanda Burgos, President of the Police Department's Hispanic Society and members of the Narvaez family.

"I'm pleased to be here today for the New York Police Department's Hispanic Heritage in Policing Ceremony dedicated to the memory of Lt. Federico Narvaez," Mayor Giuliani said. "Lt. Narvaez was a devoted husband and father who cared about making a connection with the young people of New York City and bettering their future. This is what today's ceremony aspires to achieve in promoting the ways in which Hispanics in policing can build a bridge to our young New Yorkers. The Hispanic Society has an impressive record of advancing the cause of equality inside the Department, while at the same time being involved in issues affecting the Latino community. It is in this spirit that Lt. Narvaez served the children of this City and it is a spirit that the men and women of this Department will carry on."

"Forty years ago, there were less than forty Hispanic Officers in the entire Police Department. Today, there are more than twice that number in the rank of Lieutenant alone," Commissioner Safir said. "We have nearly 5,000 Hispanic officers in the Department's uniformed ranks, making the Hispanic count larger than all but a handful of American police departments. It is a wonderful and welcome change."

The New York City Police Department Hispanic Society was incorporated on July 29, 1957. The organization was founded "to promote and develop a friendly and fraternal spirit among all members of Spanish descent in the police force of the City of New York, and to create a more harmonious relationship within the Department and the City of New York." To this end, the Hispanic Society has enhanced the opportunities for appointments and promotions of its members, while also reaching out to the Latino community in order to increase recruitment.

The Hispanic Society has also been a major force within the Latino community, especially during times of emergency. The Society played a significant role in relief efforts in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Hugo hit the island in 1989 and again after Hurricane Hortense wreaked havoc this past summer. The New York City Police Department amassed personnel as well as heavy equipment from its elite Emergency Service Unit to assist the Puerto Rican government and the Red Cross. Members of the Hispanic Society volunteered their time, serving as translators, accompanying Red Cross staff to remote areas of the island and distributing food and emergency supplies to the community.