New 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.

Ferreira lost both of his legs below the knees after stepping on an improvised explosive device (IED) while serving in Afghanistan in 2011.

More than 40 members of Ferreira's graduating class are also military veterans. 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.