The Dallas Police Department graduated its latest batch of new recruits on Friday morning.
It was an emotional moment for the families of Class 398, which included 30 new officers joining the ranks of Dallas PD.
This comes just as voters made it very clear that they want more officers in the city. In last week’s election, Dallas voters passed Prop U, requiring the city’s police department to boost its officer count from its current total of just under 3,100 to 4,000 officers.
The 32 new graduates on Friday will help close that gap just a little more.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
Click here to watch the ceremony.
This was also the first graduation class for the new interim Chief Michael Igo, who replaced outgoing chief Eddie Garcia last month to lead the department.
Igo has been with the police department for three decades. He shared some words of wisdom for the grads this morning.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"Today is a day of celebration, but also one of reflection and anticipation," he said. "Today is an accumulation of that hard work, and it is just the beginning of your journey as first responders. When you arrive at your substation, the real work begins. Now the actors are real people, the defensive taxes map is the concrete beneath your feet, and what was once reality-based training has become the reality we will face every day. But trust that you are prepared, and trust that the decision to be part of something far greater than yourself."
The graduates completed 10 months of rigorous training and all coming from different backgrounds, different states, and even different countries from as far away as Nigeria.
Chief Igo's new leadership comes at a crucial time when the Dallas Police Department struggles with staffing shortages.
The city and department have repeatedly said it will be putting a lot of focus on retention and hiring hundreds of more officers. The new proposition that was passed adds about 900 more officers to the department's budget.
