MIAMI (WSVN) - With the country in the grips of the police ambush in Texas, a new class of Miami Police cadets graduate and prepare to hit the streets.
It was an emotional graduation, Friday afternoon, as many young men and women prepared to officially embark on their new career at the City of Miami Police Department headquarters.
“The officers that were killed in Dallas last night were killed protecting other people,” Miami Police Chief Rodolfo Llanes said to the cadets.
Many of these cadets are mostly 24 and 25 years old and had their family members in the audience, from parents to young children.
Nicole Diaz sat in the audience as she watched her 25-year-old husband, Rolando, as he took his oath. “We worry, but at the end of the day, it comes from the heart,” she said.
It is under the shadow of the previous night’s tragedy in Dallas, where five officers were killed by a lone gunman targeting a peaceful protest, that these cadets head into a new future to protect and serve the public of the City of Miami.
In his remarks to the graduating class, Miami Police Chief Rodolfo Llanes mentioned that the officers in Dallas lost their lives as they ran toward the gunfire, as they simply tried to protect others.
After the ceremony, Llanes said, “Normally I try to speak to them and give them an inspirational quote about what it means to take an oath, but really I was ill-prepared today for that. Following the events that happened in Dallas, it was difficult to get sleep, and I just thought I should address them from my heart.”
All of the graduates 7News spoke to recognized the danger of their job but also said the previous night’s shooting would not deter them from their duty.
“Right now, I’m enjoying the moment with my family,” said one cadet.
Even though the ceremony was a celebration, cadets couldn’t help but think of the deaths of the Dallas Police officers. “Especially in these times that we’re living in, I believe that God can use us all the more,” said one Miami Police officer. “We pray for Dallas, for the family member, for the citizens, Lord, for the fellow officers.”
Diaz said she prays for her husband everyday and asks for her husband to return home safely. “We both believe in God. He has brought us here. He’s gonna get us through it,” she said.
Although her husband said he is nervous, he remembers that he joined the force for his family and uses that as his motivation. “The motivation of making them proud, having meaning of something,” he said.
The nerves at the ceremony were apparent, but so was the mission. It’s the motivation to help graduates to look past the nerves and remember the dream they had since they were children. They said nothing will get in their way of their mission.
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