Reno Reporter

Reno Police Department has ten new officers, part of this year's Northern Nevada Law Enforcement Academy class that took a long walk Monday, Dec. 6, and then a shorter walk during their graduation the following day.

Of the 37 graduates, 20 started their careers this week with Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, 10 are from the Reno Police Department, five from Sparks Police Department, one for the University of Nevada Police Services and one is with Pyramid Lake Police Department, according to a sheriff's department press release. Families, friends, now-co-workers and others filled the Grande Exposition Hall of the Silver Legacy at The Row for Tuesday's graduation ceremonies and Police Chief Jason Soto's keynote address.

Reno Ward 2 City Councilmember Naomi Duerr, left, and Reno Police Chief Jason Soto at Tuesday's graduation. | twitter.com/NaomiDuerr/

The new graduates were sworn in by their law enforcement agencies after the ceremonies.

"Congratulations to Reno’s finest!" Reno Police Department said in a Facebook post Tuesday. "Ten new RPD Officers along with many others from WSCO, SPD, UNRPD, and Pyramid Lake Police were sworn in this morning!"

Reno's Ward 2 City Councilmember Naomi Duerr, who was present for Tuesday's graduation, also took to social media and offered her congratulations to the academy class of 2021.

"Congratulations to Northern Nevada Law Enforcement Academy graduates!" Duerr said in her Twitter post the same day. "We so appreciate your willingness to serve & protect our community."

It has been quite a week for the Reno-area's newest police academy graduates.

The week started with a six-mile "Pride Run" from the Regional Public Safety Training Center on Spectrum Boulevard to Hoff Memorial in Idlewild Park, according to NBC News 4's coverage of the run. The run's destination has special meaning for area law enforcement, Washoe County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant Blaine Beard said in News 4's news story.

"This is to pay homage and respect to fallen law enforcement officers and this is a tradition that brings us together with the community and brings us together as a multi-agency effort," Beard said.

Beard also observed that the new graduates have become police officers during particularly volitile times.

"Our community is extremely pro-law enforcement and in these times, its not always that way, but we are extremely lucky for our community for the support as evidenced by the support we had during the six mile run with many people from the community coming out with signs and cheering," Beard said.

The run followed 22 weeks of study, 480 hours of post certified instruction and more than 800 hours of law enforcement instruction. All that effort shows "that they have what it takes to wear the badges of local law enforcement agencies,"  the sheriff's department's press release said.