AKRON, Ohio — A Northeast Ohio city has begun its first police academy in a dozen years since budget cuts canceled the program.
The Akron Police Department has 40 men and five women (plus one Akron Fire Department investigator) in the academy out of more than 1,000 applicants. The recruits will undergo 24 weeks of "intense" training.
Lt. Michael Miller, a department spokesman, says one of every five recruits is black, making it one of the most diverse classes in recent departmental history.
At the time the academy's return was announced back in February, May Dan Horrigan said:
"We knew that a lack of an internal police academy was negatively impacting our ability to recruit qualified, diverse candidates. We knew we had to do something. Thankfully, the funds provided by Issue 4 will help us once again host a police academy and compensate our new recruits appropriately."
The department says its own state-certified Academy Commander will oversee the academy.
