Omaha Police Academy graduates newest recruiting class
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - The Omaha Police Department welcomed a class of 33 recruits and the graduates will plan to serve on duty this weekend.
OPD celebrated the new recruiting class in a ceremony. Five of the graduates were recruited from other law enforcement agencies; the rest are new to the job.
Graduate Emily Bradley said she’s ready to get to work.
“It’s great to be done,” Bradley said. “It feels like such an accomplishment and there’s a big sense of pride in the room right now.”
Bradley has always been interested in learning the ropes of law enforcement. She’s originally from Illinois. One of her short-term goals right now is to build a strong connection with the Omaha community.
“It’s very nice to be here and everybody’s been welcoming,” Bradley said.
Bradley’s journey to become a police officer hasn’t been easy. She and the other graduates went through intense training.
Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer believes this will prepare them for anything that’s out in the field.
“They’re going to respond to calls of someone in a mental crisis, domestic violence, active shooters, missing children, crowd disturbances, shootings, and robberies,” Schmaderer said.
OPD believes these new graduates will be a tremendous help to the department’s officer shortage. Chief Deputy Steve Cerveny said it’s not just here in the metro but across the nation.
“We are about 90 officers short right now,” Cerveny said.
As for Bradley, she’s excited to call Omaha her new home.
“It’s been fun,” Bradley said. “There’s a lot of great things to experience in Omaha.”
This weekend, graduates will begin their field training phase where they will be paired with a veteran officer to apply what they’ve learned out in the city.
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