New Louisville police officers graduate Friday, ready to help 'shape the community'

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- There will soon be more police patrolling Louisville's streets.

Thirteen officers graduated from Louisville Metro Police Department's training academy Friday, a step toward filling the hundreds of openings within LMPD.

"The more people I can protect, the better," new officer Bryce Johnson said Friday. "It's what I'm here to do. I'm here to change and shape the community to what it needs to be."

Johnson said he can't wait to get out in the community.

"... whatever I can help bridge that gap," he said. "I've witnessed too much separation. I'm happy that I can be here to help make that difference."

Another graduate, Samantha Holzapfel, said the force needs more female officers, and she's ready.

"I wanted to take that step and kind of say 'Hey, you can do it too,'" she said.

Officers from Metro Academy Class 62 come from a wide range of backgrounds, including military and prior law enforcement experience.

The next round of recruits is bigger, with 28 members. Officials said it's the largest class LMPD has seen since June 2022, and many of those recruits are coming from other police departments.

Commander of Recruitment Michael Jackson said LMPD is meeting people where they're at to get more candidates. He said this includes "colleges, at our local grocery stores and at community events."

Jackson said there was a lot of interest in October's recruit class, with roughly 800 applications before the deadline passed. The selection process just began, but Jackson hopes to gain 48 qualified recruits to create a safer Louisville.

"We can better serve the community far better as we continue to get people in these uniforms," he said.

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