Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined Chicago Police Department (CPD) Superintendent Eddie Johnson in welcoming 100 new recruits to the Training Academy. This is the final class of recruits for 2016. During the six month police academy, recruits learn all applicable laws and protocols for being a Chicago Police Officer. In addition to physical training, they also receive extensive instruction in crisis intervention, de-escalation, use of force, community building and critical thinking. CPD is adding a state of the art scenario based curriculum so that we can ensure officers receive the high quality training for the complex challenges that await them. This month’s recruitment class is 60 percent nonwhite, nearly 30 percent female, and eight recruits have served in the military. Since 2011, CPD has hired 2,446 candidates, with 617 hired this year. The deadline to apply for the April 2017 Exam is January 31. The Training Academy will host its first “Be the Change” Open House on Saturday, December 17. To learn more about CPD’s recruitment efforts, please visit www.chicagopolice.org/bethechange or follow “Be The Change” on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bethechangecpd, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bethechangecpd or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/bethechangecpd.