Newport News, Va. - 16 Newport News Police recruits have taken the Oath of Honor to serve the city as police officers.
The graduation took place on Thursday night. While the evening was a time for celebration for the class and the department, they all know they have a lot of work to do in order to make the city of Newport News safer.
"This is my opportunity to go out and make a difference," said Officer Benjamin Williamson.
According to the Newport News Police Department, there have been 25 homicides so far this year. New officers are not worried though, they say they are anxious to put their training to the test and hopefully make that number lower next year.
"Newport News has thrown a lot of things at us," said Williamson. "A lot of situations where we have a high grasp of things that will be approaching us on the streets."
Aside from their training, the class of 2015 says their personalities are what will help them make the most difference in the community.
"Some are going to be good at calming people down some are going to be good at high tense situations and like I said we had each other backs," said Officer Thomas Allen.
