WPD welcomes new recruits after graduation

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Wichita Police Department welcomed 27 new recruits to the force in its graduating class on Thursday.

A WPD captain said this is a significant increase from the nine when Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan started.

One of the graduating officers said this is a big moment not just in her career but in her life.

“I had felt really moved and touched and was like, I want to do that like this is really starting to feel like what I want to do, and then I joined some ride-alongs and stuff, and I was like, yes, this is it, this is exactly what I want in my life,” Madison Lara said.

The new recruits will start their field training on Saturday. They will work with a senior police officer for 14 weeks, and once they pass, they will be released on their own.

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