Jul 25, 2008 5:40 pm US/Pacific
Class Of 30 Joins Oakland Police Force
(BCN)
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New Oakland police officers receive their badges.
CBS
Oakland Police Chief Wayne Tucker and Assistant Police Chief Howard Jordan welcomed 30 new officers Friday, bringing the department to a total of 778 officers.
Tucker told reporters after the graduation ceremony at the Scottish Rite Center for the members of the 164th basic police academy that he's confident the department will have 803 officers by the end of the year, which is Mayor Ron Dellums' goal.
Dellums didn't attend the ceremony, which was packed by cheering family members of the new officers, but he said in a statement, "I'm proud of the men and women who will be graduating from the police academy and joining our police force to protect and serve the residents of this city."
The mayor said, "We made a commitment to fully staff our police force and we will meet that goal without question by the end of the year. The police recruitment plan we put forth demonstrates what can be done when the city of Oakland comes together and makes a commitment towards a common goal."
At the ceremony, Jordan administered the oath of office for the new officers and Tucker gave them their graduation certificates.
Tucker and Jordan jointly inspected the new officers, looking closely at their uniforms and guns, and presented them with their badges.
In a brief speech, Tucker told the new officers that becoming a police officer is "a life-changing event" for them.
Tucker also told them that being an officer in Oakland will be more demanding that working in other police departments because the city has a high level of crime and a low number of officers compared to other cities.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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