32 new law enforcement officers receive their badges

Justin Price was so excited about his first day in the law enforcement training academy that he spent the night before ironing creases into his uniform and shining his shoes until they gleamed.

He imagined doing so well that Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter would hand him the keys to his Charger and turn him loose on the streets.

But it didn’t take long, Price said Friday, to discover that his previous law enforcement “training” of watching television shows such as “Law & Order” hadn’t prepared him for the rigors of nearly six months of training.

Price was among 32 law enforcement officers to receive their badges Friday after graduating from the Wichita-Sedgwick County Law Enforcement Training Academy. The class includes 22 new Wichita police officers and 10 new Sedgwick County Sheriff’s deputies.

Speakers talked about how law enforcement isn’t just a job, but “a calling” to serve and protect.

Easter urged the new officers to strike a balance between work and family. He told them to make good decisions – that poor decisions reflect not only on their fellow officers but on the 27 law enforcement officers in Sedgwick County who have died in the line of duty.

Up next for the graduates is 12 weeks of field training, where they will be paired with veteran officers for street patrols.

This story was originally published November 21, 2014 at 8:00 AM with the headline "32 new law enforcement officers receive their badges."