NEW ORLEANS—Delivering on a commitment to continue to recruit, hire and train the next generation of NOPD officers, the department graduated 26 recruits from the Training Academy on Friday, July 15, 2016.
Class #175 was hired in December 2015, and underwent training eight hours a day, Monday through Friday, for a total of 26 weeks. This is the ninth recruit class to graduate from the NOPD Training Academy since 2010.
“We are committed to providing this community with the police protection they expect and deserve, and that’s why we’re working so hard to grow the NOPD,” said NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison. “Adding more officers to the force will help us reduce our response times and increase police presence in our neighborhoods. Today’s graduation brings us one step closer to achieving this goal. I want to thank the men and women of Class #175 for answering the call to serve, and I want to thank the residents and visitors of New Orleans for their unwavering support.”
“Public safety is our top priority and today’s graduation is another sign of commitment to making our city safer,” said Mayor Landrieu. “After weeks of training, the 26 men and women of NOPD Recruit Class #175 have taken the charge to protect and to serve, and we are grateful for their dedication to our city.”
Among the 28 recruits:
• 6 recruits are female;
• 8 recruits have military experience, including U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army and National Guard;
• 3 recruits have Master’s Degrees, another 10 recruits have Bachelor’s Degrees and 2 recruits have Associate’s Degrees; and
• 14 recruits are joining the NOPD from out of state, including recruits from New York, Virginia, Connecticut, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and New Jersey.
Class #175 recruits graduating Friday include:
Lester Arnaud
Amit Bidichandani
Mitchell Brown
Christopher Cuccio
Verlin Dix
Jacob Dye
William Edwards
Miles Guirreri
Anny Sanclemente-Haynes
Michael Haynes
Shanay Howard
Marian Mickey
James Montano
Colin Niselman
Kimberly Nunez
Jay Owren
Joseph Premo
Ian Santoferraro
Danae Scheuing
Nathaniel Schuh
Samuel Senter
Brian Simonson
Michael Smith
Arin Starzyk
Joshua Tattershall
Alfred Toliver
The following recruits were recognized for outstanding achievement in the following training areas:
Louis J. Sirgo Memorial Award—Recruit Miles Guirreri
FOP Mac Bolden Precision Shooting Award—Recruit Christopher Cuccio
BOP Tactical Driving Award—Recruit Samuel Senter
POWER Report Writing Award—Recruit Arin Starzyk
PANO Physical Fitness Award—Recruit Nathaniel Schuh
Scholastic Achievement Award—Recruit Arin Starzyk
Starting this week, the recruits will be assigned to district stations across the city and partnered with an experienced NOPD officer, known as a Field Training Officer (FTO). The FTO will mentor the recruits through 16 weeks of field training. Following field training, the recruits will become full-fledged officers.
The NOPD’s 2016 budget includes funding to hire 150 new police officers.
Training is already underway for Class #176, which is expected to graduate 38 recruits later this year. Class #177, the second recruit class to launch in 2016, will start training on Monday, July 18, 2016
