The roots of the SBA run as deep as those of the City of New York itself. In 1899, just one year following the consolidation of the city’s five boroughs and the formation of the NYPD, the Department’s supervisory officers formed a fraternal organization known as the Police Sergeants Endowment and Benevolent Association.
The purpose and mission of an NYPD sergeant, and their predecessors who were known as roundsmen, has not changed since the inception of the Municipal Police Department in 1844. At that time the police force was comprised of 200 men who served 320,000 people. Sergeants performed the same challenging tasks that they do today.
NYPD sergeants have always been the most visible Frontline supervisors in the world. Because of their widespread presence, many members of the public do not even realize there is a higher rank. Sergeants respond to all unusual incidents, working alongside the officers under their direct supervision.
NYPD Sergeants have long played an integral role in the world’s largest police department from a historical perspective. Since the waves of immigration in the 1800s and early 1900s, throughout the Roaring ’20s, the Great Depression, World War II, when New York was in the crosshairs of our enemies…
As the hardest working Frontline police supervisors in the world, NYPD Sergeants are guided by an unrivaled sense of justice, determination, courage, nobility, selflessness and commitment to duty. They work hard to help others while advancing the ideals of New York City, which is universally regarded as the Capitol of the World.
The history and heritage of the Sergeant’s uniform is very unique. There are 3 types of NYPD uniforms and a wide array of medals, breast bars and patches that accompany the uniform.
The NYPD Sergeant represents the first line of leadership in the world’s largest municipal police department. For more than 150 years the three inverted Vs on their sleeves – commonly referred to as stripes or chevrons – indicate the sergeant’s integral role in Frontline leadership as it relates to public safety.