Police academy graduation helps two police departments’ staffing concerns
Nearly 30 new officers and deputies are now ready to hit the streets across the Central Coast. Friday was graduation day for the recruits, but for two departments, it highlighted staffing issues they’re now a little closer to fixing.
As the police graduates filed in at Cypress Community Church, the emotions kicked in.
“It’s so surreal,” said Juan Bribiesca, a new addition to the Watsonville Police Department.
Beyond the joyous occasion, all this means two police departments are getting stronger.
“The ones who will carry the department through all the new era of Measure G and the rebuild of our city’s police department,” said Salinas Police Chief Kelly McMillin, talking about his new recruits.
Starting July 1, all of McMillin’s department will be patrol based, with special assignment positions temporarily put on hold. He said his three graduates provide a way back to community policing.
“My hope is that by the time they get off their probationary period of one year, they have several options in terms of specialized assignments to go to if that’s their desire,” McMillin said.
Like Salinas, the Watsonville Police Department has struggled with overtime issues.
At graduation, they broke a record with their new officers.
“We’ve never in our history brought on, at the same time, eight officers,” Watsonville Police Chief Manny Solano said.
“We started off as strangers. We didn’t know each other,” Bribiesca said, referring to the academy process. “I didn’t know the rest of the recruits from the Watsonville Police Department, but it turned into a brother and a sisterhood.”
Whether it’s Watsonville’s sales tax Measure G helping their department now or Salinas’ Measure G helping them down the road, more officers means more protection for two cities that really need it.
This was the 128th graduating class of the South Bay Regional police academy.
Salinas police is set to start a new academy with five officers in a couple of weeks, McMillin said.
