Story highlights Ferreira's police academy class voted him class presidentHe and 42 other graduating officers are military veteransNew York (CNN) A former US Marine left a double amputee after stepping on an explosive device in Afghanistan has become a police officer in New York. Matias Ferreira, 28, will be one of a few active duty police officers in the entire country that are double amputees. Ferreira, fulfilling a lifelong dream to become a cop, is the first double amputee to join the Suffolk County Police Department in Long Island, New York, according to a Suffolk County Police press release. His fellow newly minted officers voted him their class president. "On behalf of the entire Suffolk County Police Department, we are honored to have these young men and women joining our ranks tomorrow and dedicating their careers to serving the residents of Suffolk County," Police Commissioner Timothy D. Sini said in a statement.

Source: CNN March 24, 2017 16:41 UTC