Montgomery County’s Public Safety Training Academy graduated 37 new police officers and sheriff’s deputies who were sworn in during a ceremony Thursday in Rockville, Maryland.
The new class of law enforcement officers enters policing at a time when competition for new hires is fierce and trust for the profession in some communities is low.
The current climate is one of the reasons newly sworn Montgomery County Police Officer Alfredo Hernandez said he is joining the force.
“There is not a better time to serve than now,” Hernandez said. “I speak Spanish, I speak English, I’m bilingual, I have years of life experience under my belt, which I feel like will be a great asset to this department.”
He grew up in Rockville, attended Wootton High School, and said his police academy class is a reflection of the community.
“We are very diverse,” Hernandez said. “We have many different officers from many different backgrounds, we speak many different languages and we’re here to serve the community.”
Members of the 2026 class will join agencies including the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Gaithersburg City Police, Rockville City Police, Takoma Park Police and the Maryland-National Capital Park Police.
The bulk of the graduating class, 21 officers, will serve in Montgomery County’s police department.
Police Chief Marc Yamada said recruitment efforts have paid off, and that’s due in part to the opportunities that the department offers.
He also agreed with Hernandez that gaining and keeping the public’s trust is especially important at this time.
“It’s almost talked about every day, either in the academy, on the street or in my office,” Yamada said.
“If you caught me in my other uniform, I have a pin on my uniform — one of only a couple that I wear — that says ‘trust.’”
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