New York City, one of the world's premier urban centers, is also home
to the world's most famous and storied municipal law enforcement
service: the NYPD.
Policing in New York is as old as the city itself, although much has
changed since the first Dutch rattle watch patrolled streets in the
1620s. Technological improvements, advancing professional standards, and
historical moments like the 1898 consolidation of New York City and the
terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, have each profoundly changed the
way New York City police officers do their jobs. Still, as New York City
Police emphasizes, certain elements of the job remain true through the
decades and centuries. Being a police officer in New York City has
always involved a certain amount of danger, sacrifice, and public
coordination.