SANTA BARBARA — Four officers are swearing into the Santa Barbara Police Department today. Interim Police Chief Bernard Melekian will be leading a ceremony at 3 p.m. on the department’s steps.
The officers have graduated from the 24-week program at the Peace Officer Standards and Training Academy.
Training includes topics such as cultural diversity, hate crimes, leadership and ethics, racial profiling, principled policing in the community, sexual harassment, terrorism awareness and criminal law.
Before the officers can patrol, they must complete at least 18 weeks of field training.
— Annelise Hanshaw
