A group of new Lexington police officers will begin their street duties next week. Family and friends filled the auditorium at the Blue Grass Community Technical College Thursday for the graduation ceremony.
Police recruits filed into the crowded room followed by the national anthem as the ceremony got underway.
In his remarks, Police Chief Mark Barnard said he had never seen a closer group go through the academy, “They came in, they came from so many different parts of the country, so many backgrounds, so much culture and diversity and they’ve really had to mesh, which we have to do in our community."
One of the academy graduates Donald Horton is from just outside Dallas where five officers were killed in an ambush shooting this past summer. “You know, it actually encouraged me to keep going because I understand it takes a certain person to do this job, but if you have those qualities and that desire, then we should step up to it,” noted Horton.
The officers just completed a 32-week training academy. While significant attention nationally has focused on law enforcement tactics, Kristen Beard of Campbellsville believes police protocol sets the example for officers. “To me, if you’re doing the job according to policies and procedures, I think the agency is gonna back you and then, in a hole,” Beard said. “Like you can’t go wrong if you’re policing the way you’re supposed to.”
Guest Speaker Pastor C.B Akins urged the newly-sworn-in officers to build relationships with the public. He added, quote, “live in the city, be vested in the city, and be a leader in the city.”?
