Milwaukee Police Department welcomes new graduating recruits to force

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — The city of Milwaukee welcomed dozens of officers to its police force Thursday morning.

Thirty-seven recruits walked across the stage at the Milwaukee Police and Fire Academy.

The newly-pinned officers spoke about the importance of having people of all backgrounds on the police force. Graduate Bertha Gonzalez says she hopes to inspire other Hispanic women to join the department.

“We don’t have much - much people that can speak Spanish and English, and then women showing that powerful movement. We can show little girls hey, you know, I did it. You can do it too,” said Gonzalez.

Other graduates say they are looking forward to making a difference in the same community they grew up in.