AUSTIN, Texas — A group of new police officers are set to start patrolling the streets of Austin.
On Friday, 19 cadets were sworn in by the Austin Police Department (APD) at the Bannockburn Church, where they made a commitment to a city that has needed reassurance from law enforcement.
"Be one of those bridges, kind of begin to rebuild that trust because it does take time. It's not something that can be rebuilt overnight," said Taylor Motsinger, one of APD's new officers.
APD remains short at least 300 officers and has had trouble filling the gaps.
With this small group set to step in on Sunday, the newly sworn-in officers hope the city gives them time to prove their worth.
"We are with you. We are here working for you, and thank you for the opportunity you are going to give us," new officer Gabriel Walker Prado said.
"I think just put in the time and effort with the community and kind of, you know, do what we can to help," added Rachel Crossman, another if the new officers sworn in Friday.
APD is currently in a state of transition, under new leadership after former police chief Joseph Chacon announced his retirement in August.
Interim Police Chief Robin Henderson, who took over the department last week, addressed the need for more officers and vowed to address the needs of the city the best possible way they can.
"We are being intentional about transparency in what we do. We are being intentional and making sure we are serving our unique community needs. And understand, that is instilled in our cadets," Henderson said.
Henderson mentioned that another class of 50 cadets will begin training next week.
"The mere fact that we're adding some officers to our streets in order to keep our community safe is just a very exciting time," Henderson said.
According to APD, cadets go through a rigorous 32-week training program where they deal with crisis intervention training, community policing, defensive tactics and leadership.