Oct. 22, 2001 – A new class of 17 Police Department recruits has begun training, along with eight individuals from six other local law-enforcement bodies. The trainees are expected to graduate in about 24 weeks, Police Commissioner Franz Christian said Monday.
"We are not only training our own men and women in blue; we are including the training for two Deparment of Planning and Natural Resources enforcement officers, two V.I. Housing Authority police officers, two Department of Finance officers, one environmental health officer and one Territorial Court marshal," Christian said in a Government House release.
As soon as the current class completes its training, another will begin, Christian said. "The increase of police presence and the expert training of other law-enforcement agencies" is part of Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's directive to make crime fighting "one of the highest priorities" of the local government, he said.
Applications are being accepted in both the St. Thomas-St. John and St. Croix districts for additional trainees, he said.