On Thursday, May 9, a total of 52 polished recruits lined up at STARS Center Gymnasium in what would be their final platoon formation as academy classmates. After 22 weeks of rigorous academy training, the recruits pressed through an equally intense and meticulous formal class inspection by law enforcement executives just before the ceremony.
The ceremony was a formal transformation of academy recruits into sworn peace officers. Sheriff Robert G. Luna presided over the graduation ceremony and delivered encouraging remarks to the 7 females and 49 male graduates and their guests.
Sheriff Robert G. Luna, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was joined on stage by Chief Jason Sims, Culver City Police Department; Chief Gary Tomatani, Hawthorne Police Department; Chief Brian Solinsky, South Pasadena Police Department; Chief Darren Arakawa, South Gate Police Department; Assistant Chief Robert Dunn, Torrance Police Department; Ms. Diane Stone, Sheriff’s Relief Association Representative in presenting the 52 graduates with their Peace Officer Standards and Training certificates. The graduates were then officially sworn in as California Peace Officers.
In a special segment of the ceremony, Deputy Jorge Mata, LASD, was named as the class Honor Recruit. This award is earned by the recruit who achieved the highest numerical average based upon leadership qualities, academics, marksmanship, and physical performance throughout the training period. Deputy Richard Alvarez, LASD, was honored as the Academic Recruit. This award is earned by the recruit who achieved the highest academic scores.
Academy Class #473 is a largely international collection of backgrounds, reflective of the vast array of cultures found within Los Angeles County. Of the (52) graduating recruits, (35) recruits speak a language other than English, including Farsi, Hindi, Punjabi, Twi, Spanish.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Congratulates Academy Class 473!
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