New police recruits gathered at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem yesterday for the start of a multicultural immersion course.

The four-day course, attended by 1,500 police recruits, is designed to help police officers become more comfortable and sensitive serving people of different ethnicities and backgrounds. New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says the program works.

"We certainly can make mistakes, we're human beings. But by in large, I think the men and women of the department do a terrific job interacting with the many different communities of the city."