Born here all their lives

Wondering if the local cops are really local? City officials say 10 of the 19 new Santa Fe Police Department cadets are Santa Fe natives, and two more currently live in the city. The three out-of-state cadets hail from Colorado, Texas and Michigan. For a police department that’s been criticized for sending cars to officers’ homes more than 60 miles away, the proportion of hometown cadets could be a good sign.

"Overwhelmingly, when asked why they joined the department, they said they 'wanted to serve their hometown,'" says Department spokeswoman Celina Westervelt.

Other interesting facts from the department include that most of the class also have children living in the city. The new recruits range in age from 21 to 44. The youngest recently completed his Navy Seal training. However, an injury prevented him from joining the Seals, so "the second best thing [he says] was to come back and be a Santa Fe police officer," says Westervelt. He's one of eight of the recruits that have military backgrounds. The oldest decided to trade his desk job at Hewlett-Packard for a career in civil service, following the steps of his son, an Albuquerque police officer. Cadets are next set to complete a 16-week training course and spend another 14 weeks under supervision. (Alexa Mangrum)

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