Colorado Springs graduates 32 cadets onto the police force Thursday
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The police department took an important step towards reaching the goal of Chief Adrian Vasquez and Mayor Yemi Mobolade to bring the force to its fully authorized strength of 818 officers by the end of the year.
In a Thursday ceremony at the Radiant Church, 32 cadets were the honorees at the city's 76th class of graduates -- officially becoming sworn officers.
The new police men and women promised to never betray their badges, their integrity or the public trust in them; they resolved to hold themselves and others responsible for their actions; and swore to uphold the constitution, their community and the agency they serve in.
Dozens of family, friends and comrades filled the church sanctuary to support their new law enforcement officers during the afternoon ceremony.
In recent years, the police department has struggled to retain and hire officers as many left the profession for various reasons -- resulting in staffing shortages and longer response times for service calls.
This is the first of several classes in 2024 that officials expect will resolve most, if not all, of those issues.
Among the graduates is Anna Reed, a 38-year-old former model and mother of four kids -- not your typical cadet, to be sure.
"I've always wanted to do something more," she explained. "I've been through some pretty hard things in my life. I've never had anybody to step in and be what officers are expected to be for people who need them. I wanted to do something and be that person."
Reed said that she grew up in a small Wyoming town, and modeled while she followed her husband in his military career; she decided to become a police officer despite some of her own relatives trying to dissuade her, saying that women should stay at home and not work.
The six months of training she endured may have been less challenging than what happened to her before her academy class began.
"I got in a really bad car wreck a week before the start date," she recalled. "I felt like I wasn't going to make it -- that it was another sign that I wasn't supposed to be here. But I kept fighting. I went through physical therapy."
The training isn't over yet for the new officers; they'll be paired with experienced officers on patrol for 15 weeks before hitting the streets on their own.
Vasquez said that 818 officers ultimately won't be enough for the growing city.
"I'll be meeting with the mayor soon to decide what that new number for authorized full strength should be," he said. "But for now, this is great. By the end of the year, we'll be at full strength for the first time since 2019."
