NOPD force grows after 28 recruits graduate
The New Orleans Police Department has added 28 new recruits to its ranks.
They graduated Friday from the city's police-training academy.
The New Orleans Advocate reported Friday that the recruits took their oath of office after a ceremony that featured appearances from Police Superintendent Michael Harrison, Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Entergy CEO Charles Rice.
The recruits trained eight hours a day, five days a week for 26 weeks. Now, they face 16 weeks of field training, in which they are partnered with experienced officers.
The class increases the department's total manpower to 1,161, up from 1,146 roughly one year ago. Landrieu has said he hopes the department has 1,600 officers by 2020.
Keep up with local news, weather and current events with the WDSU app here. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news right in your inbox. Click here to sign up!