Enhance Police Services

Enhance Police Services Through Professional Development, Training, Precinct Improvements,
and Wellness Initiatives Within the NYPD

Serving in one of the world’s largest and most complex police departments requires NYPD officers to respond to evolving public safety challenges under constant pressure. With support from the New York City Police Foundation, the NYPD continues to invest in initiatives and equipment that strengthen the physical, emotional, and professional well-being of its members.

The Foundation helped transform the NYPD Tactical Training Center at Rodman’s Neck into a state-of-the-art, scenario-based training facility developed in partnership with NY/NJ HIDTA and the New York Army National Guard, which opened in October 2025.

Additionally, the Foundation is funding upgrades to the Firearms Training Simulator, which will enhance tactical readiness through adaptive virtual training scenarios designed to improve outcomes for both officers and the public.

New life-saving equipment was purchased including Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for Emergency Service Unit, and new lightweight ballistics vests for the Detective Bureau.

Beyond training, the Foundation supports initiatives that improve quality of life and officer wellness, including scholarships, enhanced training opportunities, Healthy Meals for Cops, and support for more than 50 NYPD Sports Unit teams.

Members of the NYPD face constant operational and evolving external challenges that impact their mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Through its Precinct Enhancement Fund, the Foundation partners with the NYPD Facilities Management Division to improve facilities across the Department—including 77 Precincts, 9 Housing Areas, 12 Transit Districts, and specialized commands—and has completed more than 100 renovation projects citywide, including fitness centers, kitchens, lounges, dormitories, and upgraded Narcotics Canine Unit kennels.

The fund has also supported preservation projects honoring the Department’s legacy, including the expansion of the Hall of Heroes at One Police Plaza and the renaming of the Police Academy in honor of Detective Steven D. McDonald.

Advanced training and professional development for law enforcement leaders worldwide is supported through the Foundation’s sponsorship of major events including the International Law Enforcement Liaison Conference, Operation Sentry Conference, Executive All-In, Hostage Negotiation Team Conference, NYPD Homicide Investigators Course, Leadership in Counter Terrorism (LinCT) Alumni Association Conference, and other critical information-sharing forums that strengthen collaboration, promote best practices, and enhance preparedness.

• Sponsored professional development and scholarship opportunities across the Department, including the creation of the two-week Commanders College to prepare NYPD leaders with training in leadership, wellness, financial management, public speaking, and human resources.
• Supported the NYPD Employee Assistance Unit Health & Wellness Section, including the Department’s first emotional support canines, which provided comfort and stress relief during critical incidents, training, and therapeutic sessions.
• Launched Finest Care in partnership with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in 2019, providing free, confidential mental health services for all uniformed members of the service.
• Funded the groundbreaking By Their Own Hand depression and police suicide prevention training curriculum in 1989, which received national recognition and remains a valuable law enforcement resource today.
• Supported Project ABLE (Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement), which trained first responders to intervene, prevent misconduct and mistakes, and promote officer wellness and accountability.

• During the Coronavirus pandemic, the Foundation provided PPE including more than 800,000 masks, 200,000 pairs of gloves, 180,000 containers of hand sanitizer, and 3,600 meals to officers, as well as more than 8,000 hotel room nights to officers needing to isolate.
• The Foundation launched an NYPD Families Hardship Fund in 2017 for the emergency benefit of family members of NYPD officers wounded in the line of duty.
• The Foundation established a Hurricane Sandy Hardship Fund to provide relief grants to NYPD personnel and for the benefit of the Department in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
• When the NYPD established the Office of Equity and Inclusion, the Foundation hired a consultant to design a strategic action plan for the office to help its mission of promoting a fair, safe, inclusive, and accommodating work environment for all members of the Department.
• In an effort to enhance the NYPD’s proficiency and capacity to investigate sexual assault cases, the Foundation funded a detailed assessment of the NYPD Special Victims Division‘s processes and procedures for investigating and prosecuting such cases.
• Since 2001, the Foundation has sponsored the NYPD Women in Policing Conference to offer information, along with keynote speakers, to enhance women’s professional and personal lives. The audience has grown over the years to more than 1,600 women.
• In 2019, the Police Foundation sponsored a mental health consultant to provide clinicians and crisis counselors at roll call training alongside the NYPD Employee Assistance Unit, Department Chaplains and Precinct Commanders.