KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It's the moment they've been waiting for for nearly seven months.
The 174th entrant officer class graduated from the Kansas City Regional Police Academy on Thursday evening.
KSHB 41 News has been following the class throughout the training since February.
The graduation ceremony is a long-awaited moment.
"I'm super excited, I thought that this day would never come, it was a long seven months, but it's happening," Briana Hawley said.
The ceremony included friends or family members pinning the officers' badges on their uniform followed by officers swearing an oath to their individual agencies.
After months of intense training, the class is ready and excited to serve the public.
"We do it for them, you know this isn't a selfish job at all, we do it for the community, we do it for the people," Hawley said.
During the ceremony, North Kansas City Police Chief Kevin Freeman thanked academy staff and the 174th for their support after the death of Officer Daniel Vasquez.
Officer Griffin Kraut said the academy training has helped prepare for the dangers of the job.
"The next day's never given, that's just something you have to know when you go into this job and you load up into that car every night, the next day's never given," Kraut said.
As they now go their separate ways to serve communities around the Kansas City area, the class will always have a special bond they'll continue throughout their career.
"You just have to have faith and trust in one another, that's what this family is all about," Kraut said.
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