The NOPD welcomed the largest recruit class to the force since 2013 with the graduation of Class 176 today (Oct. 28). A total of 35 recruits graduated in a ceremony held at Landry-Walker College and Career Preparatory High School. Class #176 started training in May 2016. The recruits underwent training eight hours a day, Monday through Friday, for a total of 26 weeks. This is the tenth recruit class to graduate from the NOPD Training Academy since 2010.
More than half of the recruits who graduated from Class #176 earned a college degree or served in the military prior to joining the police department.
Among the 35 recruits:
- 12 recruits have military experience;
- 9 recruits have Bachelor’s Degrees and 4 recruits have Associate’s Degrees; and
- 15 recruits are joining the NOPD from out of state, including recruits from California, Tennessee, New Hampshire, Florida, New York, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio and North Dakota.
Class #176 recruits graduating today include:
- Brandon Anderson
- Alicia Armstrong
- Christopher Barbe'
- Daniel Berrincha
- Nicholas Buckel
- William Burford
- John Cabral
- Zachary Conaway
- Robert Cravatta
- Jeffrey Crouch
- Ahmad Dixon
- Daniel Grijalva
- Cramer Hanberg
- Rachel Harris
- Alexander Horn
- Shontrell Johnson
- Soung Kim
- Jonathan Kling
- Rondell Moseley
- Travious Nash
- Kevin Nguyen
- Jacob Nolan
- Raphael Rico
- Stephen Robinson, Jr.
- Kelly Scharffbillig
- Frank Vitrano
- Alexander Voight
- Ryeisha Warren
- Derrick Williams
- Joseph Winkler
- Christle Young
- Jonathan Fowlkes
- Robert Hendershot, Jr.
- James Rosier, Jr.
- Alois Warren
The following recruits were recognized for outstanding achievement in the following training areas:
- Louis J. Sirgo Memorial Award—Recruit Derrick O. Williams
- FOP Mac Bolden Precision Shooting Award—Recruit Derrick O. Williams
- BOP Tactical Driving Award—Recruit Joseph B. Winkler
- POWER Report Writing Award—Recruit Frank Vitrano
- PANO Physical Fitness Award—Recruit Jonathan D. Kling
- Scholastic Achievement Award—Recruit Kelly Scharffbillig
Starting next week, the recruits will be assigned to district stations across the city and partnered with an experienced NOPD officer, known as a Field Training Officer (FTO). The FTO will mentor the recruits through 16 weeks of field training. Following field training, the recruits will become full-fledged officers.
Training is already underway for Class #177, which is expected to graduate later this year. Class #178 will launch on Monday (Oct. 31) with a total of 33 recruits.
The 2016 budget funds the hiring of 150 new officers this year.