The NYPD is welcoming 1,123 new officers, and for three of them, the new job is all in the family.
Brothers Alec, John and Stephen Favale were among Tuesday's graduates. And cheering them on was their dad, Deputy Inspector Anthony Favale.
Mayor de Blasio saluted all the cadets for joining the nation's biggest police department, adding special thanks to the Favales for their "family tradition" of service.
Alec and John are 22-year-old twins. Stephen is 24.
"It's a dream come true. The fact that it was with my brothers made it that much better," said John.
"From growing up seeing [our dad] and it was John's dream, and here we are, it still doesn't feel real. That's how surreal the whole thing is," said Stephen.
They've said they're proud of their dad's 30-year police career. But Stephen Favale added after Tuesday's ceremony that the NYPD brothers are "just like everybody else who graduated" after working hard.
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Anthony Favale has said it "feels amazing" to have three sons join the force at once.
"We're blessed. We hope that we represent New York City the way it deserves to be, as well as the NYPD," said the father.
Anthony said he was "embarrassed" to get such detailed recognition from the mayor during the commencement ceremony.
"I was under my seat," he said as wife added they were "honored."
The brothers and the other 1,100-plus new officers will work detail at the Times Square ball drop on New Year's Eve, welcoming in the new year with a new career together.
"It's the first time ever. I never saw the ball drop before, I'm a horrible New Yorker," said Stephen. "So I gotta try to be a police officer and not a tourist in that moment."
-- Brynn Gingras contributed to this report
