North Las Vegas Police Chief Jacqueline Gravatt badged 15 new officers Thursday, but there are still more than 80 openings in the department.
In a joint graduation ceremony that included three graduates for the Clark County School District Police Department, the Las Vegas Valley Police Academy shared video clips of what the 18 recruits endured on their journey to becoming officers. .
The class of new officers began with 19 recruits from North Las Vegas police and six from the school district, but not all graduated. According to Lt. John Cargile, commandant of the North Las Vegas police academy, the main reason recruits don’t graduate is because they don’t meet the physical or educational requirements. The next generation will start with 24 recruits.
After the officers received their badges, North Las Vegas Municipal Judge Chris Lee swore them in as the officers stood to recite their pledge to serve their communities. The 15 new graduates join the 287 sworn officers of the North Las Vegas Police Department.
More than half of the new agents are bilingual in Spanish and English in a city where 42 percent of residents identify as Hispanic, according to the US Census Bureau. The department adds two more women to the 79 officers who have been sworn in.
“The first day graduation seemed like a distant dream, but now that I’m here I’m so excited,” said Steicy Castillo, one of the new North Las Vegas police graduates.
Recruits spend almost a year at the academy. They start with a three to four week pre-academy where recruits are given an introduction to what’s to come. This is where trainees find out if becoming an agent is right for them before moving on to the 24-week academy, Cargile said.
After the academy, they go on to a six-week advanced academy that trains recruits in tactics, use of force, and how to use an emergency vehicle. They close the program with 17 weeks of training on the ground.
“We prepare them to be policemen. Field training teaches them how to do it,” explains Cargile.
Increased hiring
Having fewer than 20 graduating recruits has been the norm for the Las Vegas Valley Police Academy of late, according to Cargile. He said past class sizes were higher, but he’s starting to see the number of applicants pick up in recent years.
The department has increased its advertising and recruiting efforts after the city of North Las Vegas approved a request for $330,000 for a two-year contract with Sensis Inc, an advertising agency that specializes in assisting law enforcement. and military agencies.
“We’re doing pretty well, especially when it comes to hiring,” says Cargile. “Years ago many agencies didn’t have to do that, but now they do.”
In the last few months, the number of candidates has increased by 200 percent.
North Las Vegas is looking to hire more than 80 agents for the open positions, Cargile said. “We are not short of staff. Our city is capable of adding the additional staff.”
The department will open the doors of a new area command in the Tule Springs area in December, an area that is expected to add more than 30,000 residents when the master plan is complete.
