NYPD swears in Dr. Lynn O'Connor, first Black female police surgeon
NEW YORK -- History was made at NYPD headquarters Monday with the swearing in of Dr. Lynn O'Connor, the first Black female police surgeon.
O'Connor, the chief of colorectal surgery at Mercy Hospital on Long Island and a mother of one, comes from a law enforcement family and says service is in her blood.
"They give so much of themselves that they take very little time to take care of themselves. So it's rewarding to give back. And being able to marry the position of the police surgeon as well as the colorectal surgeon, that's going to give me the perfect unique opportunity and position to create colorectal health awareness programs, to do colon cancer screening programs," said O'Connor.
NYPD surgeons respond when an officer is injured in the line of duty, nurse them through illnesses and disabilities, and clear officers to return to the field.
"When I heard the news, I was excited but also, just, it makes sense. You're a rock star," said O'Connor's daughter Danielle Harris. "It's a representation that we definitely need, especially with there being so many disparities within the health industry and also just within care as well too."
"Being the first African American female is, it's a tremendous honor and, you know, heavy is the head that wears the crown. I hope that I'm not the last. I'm going to make sure that I'm not the last," said O'Connor.
Monday was O'Connor's first day on the job. She joined a team of 35 NYPD surgeons, only seven of whom are women.
