A NYPD deputy inspector reunited after 19 years with his mentor Tuesday at the Longwood Avenue Police Athlete League, a place that he says helped shaped his future.

Deputy Inspector Benjamin Gurley first met police officer and future mentor Jose Collazo while working as a program director for PAL. Gurley was in charge of the evening program for young adults.

Gurley says his goal was to be a positive influence of children in his community.

He says Collazo mentored him and helped him to change his path to new opportunities in the NYPD.

"He sat me down and he told me the positives, and the things we really don't see as an inner city kid growing up," says Gurley.

Collazo, now retired, says his son also works in law enforcement as a detective with the city's Housing Department.

Gurley currently works in the 43rd Precinct.