Ohio city launches police academy for 1st time in 12 years

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio city has begun its first police academy in a dozen years since budget cuts canceled the program.

The Akron Police Department has 40 men and five women in the academy out of more than 1,000 applicants. Training will last 24 weeks.

One in five recruits is black, making it one of the most diverse classes in recent departmental history, said Lt. Michael Miller, a department spokesman.

Tori Chamberlain tells the Akron Beacon Journal she left PNC Financial Services Group Inc. to become an officer, saying that public service drew her to the job.

Ohio has dozens of police academies, including a few run individually by big departments like Columbus and Cleveland. Many police recruits also train at academies run by community colleges.