Oct. 20, 2026, is a day that the “rookies” of graduating class 67-26, of The Boston Police Department, will never forget.

Their futures are filled with promise, but also problems. “I personally feel that being a police officer is one of the greatest jobs in the world,” said Boston Police Patrolman’s Association (BPPA) President, Larry Calderone. He added, “The job has changed in the three decades-plus that I’ve been on, and I can’t say it’s all for the good…”

Calderone, the likeable, approachable, streetwise leader of the BPPA, said he doesn’t think the leadership has the backs of the membership. “I like Commissioner Cox, personally, but I really feel as if he doesn’t have our backs.”

So, rookie, while you’re riding around with your training officer, keep that in mind. You’re coming of age in the post-“Ferguson Effect” era. You’re starting your career at a time when the “Hands up, don’t shoot” myth still prevails in some corners.

Your job, at times, can be very unforgiving. Everything you do – from writing a ticket, to facing down an armed stranger – will face scrutiny.

Did you know that policing causes some parents to claim they have to have “The Talk” with their children? Do they have to have “The Talk” about doctors and teachers, etc.? No, just police. How would you like to be in their shoes?

It’s agitators in the public who cook up the police recipe. The ingredients are hostility, disrespect, and second-guessing. They’re typically the ones who quickly call 911 about loud noise, and then they start their stopwatches.

Also, get ready for the questions about how much you earn. Notice that I said how much you “earn,” not how much you make. What you “earn” will be published in local papers, and online, sometime next year.

Don’t take too much overtime because you’ll be criticized for that, despite the fact that a lot of your extra hours will be forced overtime. “Some City Councilors are always criticizing our overtime. They don’t fund the overtime budget adequately enough, then they complain when it runs over,” says Calderone.

Consider all the major public events that require overtime, that have recently occurred in Boston: the Boston Marathon, the World Cup Watch Parties. How about the visit of the Tall Ships? Everything was safe and went off without a hitch.

What about all the cultural festivals, protests and parades that occur, in Boston, throughout the year? Do we want safe, orderly events? Then, guess what, we need men and women in blue to be there – protecting and serving.

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According to Calderone, these recruits are joining the department at a time of immense staffing shortages. “These new recruits are better trained and better educated than we were when I came on.” He adds, however, that staffing levels still put officers [despite their training and education] in dangerous positions.

Calderone said his officers are often outnumbered during street takeovers or other large gatherings of people who have zero respect for law enforcement. “What if the mob turns unruly,” he asks?

In her book, “The War on Cops,” Heather MacDonald writes, “The greatest danger [in the war on cops] lies… in the de-legitimization of law and order itself… Police officers are regularly pelted with bricks and water bottles during the course of their duties… If the present lies about law enforcement continue, civilized urban life may once again break down…”

A case in point was last summer’s incident near the Franklin Park Zoo wherein an officer attempting to arrest a suspect was met by a disruptive, disrespectful mob. Trash and alcoholic beverages were hurled at the officer.

That incident could have been far more serious, Calderone notes. “There may be a time when the cavalry isn’t coming to help because we don’t have the officers,” says Calderone.

Calderone says Mayor Wu has been good about trying to increase their ranks, but the city needs to do more. “Over the next three years, we really should hire an additional 400 to 500 officers,” Calderone said.

The good thing is despite the shortage, Boston’s men and women in blue do a phenomenal job. Recruits, pay attention to what you were taught and what you are learning on the job. It will serve you well.

Good luck, and stay safe, Class 67-26. You and everyone in the Boston Police Department, and your families, are in my prayers.