At today's Northern Nevada Law Enforcement Academy Graduation Ceremony, the words they all waited for came after a 1-hour ceremony at the Silver Legacy Grand Exposition Hall: "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm pleased to present the graduating class of 2019!" At that moment, the packed house filled with cheers to salute the 22 men and women onstage. Each one has shown they have what it takes to wear the badge for 5 local law enforcement agencies. As Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam told me, "Even though we all may wear different uniforms, at the end of the day we serve this great community."
To get to this point, the recruits completed more than 800 hours of intensive training. Proud families, friends and future co-workers celebrated their accomplishments in the big room full of smiles. New officer Sarah Horn of the Reno Police Department told me she starts, "Tomorrow! Tomorrow's my first day, I'll start right off. It's going to be good, I'm excited." Nearby, Sheriff Balaam called that, “The excitement of that new job. That new career, that new chapter...like we all told them when we spoke to them onstage."
The average changes, but this year 8 out of 10 who signed up actually made it to this moment after the grueling physical and mental training. Cassandra Jacobson, now a Washoe County deputy, is one of them. Her hopes for her career began with her childhood best friend, whose dad was a cop. She told me, "I always had so much respect for him, and so being able to do this myself...it's really an amazing feeling."
As one of our newest officers told me today, "This means the world." For Officer Horn, she believes it’s her destiny: "This means a lot, it's life changing. I'm here now to help safe and change lives. This is what I was meant to do." Deputy Jacobson simply called it, "A happy day. My mom's a little apprehensive and nervous, because you know I'm her baby girl, but she's very excited."
Of the 22 graduates, 9 report to the Reno Police Department, 6 to the Washoe County Sheriff's Office, 3 for the Sparks Police Department, 3 for UNR Police Services and 1 for Washoe County Juvenile Probation.
