The newly-minted class of FDNY probationary firefighters includes an unprecedented nine rookie Bravest with felony convictions, including one who did jail time for gun possession, insiders told The Post.
The nine ex-felons, all minorities, were among 295 probies who graduated from the Fire Academy on Nov. 2, as critics charge the FDNY has loosened hiring standards to diversify its ranks.
One of the nine, a black 32-year-old who joined the city as an EMT in 2012, served more than a year in the Nassau County Correctional Center after two 2005 convictions for carrying loaded guns.
At age 20, he was busted twice in Long Island — once after a cop found a .38-caliber revolver in a car he was riding in, and again with a 9mm pistol in his car’s seat-back pocket. He pled guilty to two counts of criminal weapon possession, one a felony.
Five years later, a 2009 probation report said cops described the ex-felon as “‘not a bad kid,’ but one who associated with known gang members.” He admitted he’d been friendly with gang members, but denied ever being a member himself.
At that time, he was living with his fiancee’ and their newborn baby while supporting another child. “He shows signs of maturity and responsibility,” the probation report said. He held jobs, volunteered for a local fire department and took EMT classes.
In 2007 and 2010, however, Nassau County judges refused to grant him a “certificate of relief from disabilities,” which lifts an automatic bar against employment of people with one felony. The reasons cited: He had failed to cooperate in an investigation and to keep probation appointments.
In 2015, however, he received a “certificate of good conduct” from the state Corrections Department. The certificate is granted to people convicted of two or more felonies who have stayed clean for three to five years, or those with any criminal records seeking “public office,” which includes firefighter jobs, experts said.
‘I agree that people deserve a second chance, but how far are we going to go?’
The FDNY confirmed that ex-felons with such certificates can be considered for firefighting positions. A spokesman would not comment on individuals.
Some FDNY members are alarmed at the ex-con influx.
“I agree that people deserve a second chance, but how far are we going to go?” one FDNY veteran asked.
Sebastian Solomon, director of the Legal Action Center, which helps ex-cons seek good-conduct certificates, said they are potential heroes.
“This is an inherently risky profession with a challenging application process. Anyone willing to go through that process must be motivated to help others,” Solomon argued. “We just believe that they need to be judged on their merits as individuals, and not eliminated from contention solely on the basis of their record.”
The crop of ex-felons comes in the wake of a federal lawsuit by the Vulcan Society of black firefighters. In 2014, the city agreed to pay $98 million to candidates passed over because of alleged racial bias.
Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said the latest firefighter class, with 22.3 percent identified as Hispanic and 15.5 percent as black, “reflects the growing diversity of our department.”