NYPD Deputy Inspector Ralph Clement leads the 103rd Precinct station house in Jamaica, Queens. He develops and implements strategies to keep the community safe. 

He started, though, in a very different place and position. He is from Guyana, and his parents decided to move the U.S. for better opportunities.

What You Need To Know

  • NYPD Deputy Inspector Ralph Clement develops and implements strategies to keep the community safe

  • Clement's journey started in a very unusual place: as an undocumented immigrant working in a sweatshop

  • He was mentored by a retired NYPD detective, which was part of what inspired him to join the NYPD

They flew to Canada and were smuggled over the Canadian border into Buffalo, hidden inside an 18-wheeler by a human trafficker and indebted to him at the age of 15, held hostage for $7,000.

"We payed half up front. The other half we didn't have, so that individual that brought us, he said, 'I'm going to take your son,'” Clement said.

After a week, his mother negotiated to get Clement back. It was 1992, and he quickly found work in sweatshops in Brooklyn and Queens to help pay off the rest of the debt. He stitched together Halloween costumes.

"I remember three dollars and 25 cents an hour, that's what I worked for,” Clement said.

He graduated from John Adams High School in Ozone Park in 1996, and even after that, continued working at sweatshops until 1998. He eventually found work at a security company. 

NYPD retired detective John Farley hired him and started mentoring him. 

"A very honest person, and, you know, he inspires people,” Clement said — which sparked the desire to join the NYPD.

"I am a product of him,” Clement added.

Clement studied for his exams and joined the NYPD in 2005. He says he worked hard, and that led to promotions, while also earning a master's degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

And his sons followed their father's lead: His son David is an officer, and his youngest son was selected to join the NYPD Academy.

"I'm very proud of them, that they've grown into men who want to serve the community and give back, just like their father,” Clement said.

And Clement is looking ahead to the future, continuing to serve at the age of 47. Next year, he will have 20 years in the NYPD, and could retire with full benefits, but he says he has no plans to walk away from the job that he loves. 

"When I look back at where I started, to where I am now, it's a great sense of accomplishment,” Clement said.

"I never imagined that I would be here, right, so it's like living in a dream,” he added. "Serving the community, the businesses, and then, you know, who knows what the future holds."