Particle.news
Download on the App Store
5 ARTICLES
·
4w ago

NYPD Renames Queens Police Academy for Detective Steven McDonald

The move honors McDonald’s decades of public outreach focused on forgiveness, signaling the NYPD’s intent to teach those values to new recruits.

Image
The sprawling 30-acre Queens campus, responsible for the training of New York’s Finest, now bears the name of Det. Steven D. McDonald – 42 years to the day that he joined the academy.
Image
Image

Overview

  • The NYPD held a formal dedication at its Queens academy and unveiled new signage declaring the building the Detective Steven D. McDonald Police Academy.
  • City and law‑enforcement leaders attended the ceremony, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
  • McDonald was shot and left paralyzed while on duty in Central Park in the 1980s, later publicly forgiving the 15‑year‑old shooter and spending decades speaking about service and mercy.
  • The academy opened a small on‑site exhibit of McDonald’s belongings, including his recruit uniform, wheelchair, and ventilator, to preserve his story for recruits and visitors.
  • Coverage notes a factual discrepancy in reporting the shooting year (sources cite 1986 and 1988), but all accounts confirm the renaming, the family’s presence, and the ceremony’s aim to cement McDonald’s legacy in training.