AUSTIN, Texas — The video above was published March 6.
The Austin Police Department will graduate 48 new officers in a ceremony Friday afternoon.
The graduating cadets completed a demanding 32-week training program, which included crisis intervention training, leadership, defense tactics and more.
With the addition of nearly 50 new cadets this year compared to 2018's addition of 40 cadets, the department is still on the hunt for more officers.
Nearly 40% of APD's cadet class quit. The 140th cadet class had a roster of 96 cadets to start with -- out of a pool of nearly 1,400 applicants -- but only 48 of those cadets have made it to graduation. At least 36 cadets dropped out, according to APD.
"The honest truth is, we're struggling to hire people," Austin Police Association president Ken Casaday told KVUE. "This one class that we have right now is very concerning."
Casaday said these numbers concern him because the department is struggling to keep up with Austin's growth and is already short on officers, an issue other departments in Texas are facing.
For more information on how you can join APD, click here.
The cadets who graduate Friday are required to be on probation for a year.
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