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Austin Police Commissiones 35 recruits after 32-week academy; chief vows support
Summary
Thirty-five recruits from the Austin Police Department’s 150th fourth cadet class were pinned and sworn in after 32 weeks of training. Chief Lisa Davis administered the oath, award recipients were honored, and speakers emphasized integrity and community service.
Thirty-five recruits were pinned and sworn in as officers of the Austin Police Department on the occasion of the commissioning ceremony for the department’s 150 fourth cadet class.
The graduates completed a 32-week academy that began Jan. 20, 2025, the department said during the ceremony. Chief Lisa Davis, the city’s chief of police, administered the oath of office and pledged continued support for training, equipment and wellness for the new officers.
The ceremony featured a keynote address from Matthew Greer, chief of police for Eanes Independent School District, who said the relationships officers build with the people they serve “will always be the measure of your success.” A class president representing the graduates described integrity as the class motto and recounted the physical and personal sacrifices classmates made to complete the program.
Why this matters: The sworn-in officers will join the Austin Police Department’s ranks at a time when chiefs and community leaders repeatedly emphasize training, professionalism and community engagement as central to policing. The department highlighted the academy’s length and the instructors’ role in preparing recruits for street duty.
The ceremony and awards Chief Davis administered the oath of office, which included language recited by the class such as “without fear, favor, or discrimination” and a vow to “devote my efforts and skills to the honorable profession of policing and to the service of neighborhoods and individuals of this community, the City of Austin.” During the ceremony the department also recognized award recipients: the Ernie Hinkle Humanitarian Award was presented to Officer Jared Molt (citation: classroom nomination and department presentation), and cadet Isabel Provost was named honor cadet by the training staff.
Kevin Foster, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin who has taught the history of race and policing for the academy, presented an award; Sergeant Andrea Washington presented other training-unit recognitions. Chief Greer, the keynote speaker, reflected on his own APD training and urged cadets to treat the badge as “a promise to act with honor, even when nobody’s watching.”
Class president remarks and academy details The class president, introduced during the program without a publicly stated name in the ceremony’s transcript, told attendees the class adopted integrity—rooted in the Latin integritas—as its guiding motto. The president said the recruits endured eight months of “long hours,” training that included exposure to OC spray and taser training, and personal hardships such as family illness and new parenthood while completing the academy.
Training timeline and numbers mentioned during the program According to remarks at the ceremony, the academy began on Jan. 20, 2025, and ran for 32 weeks. Speakers referenced an initial cohort of recruits who came together at the start of training; the transcript also records the final graduating class size as 35 individuals.
What officials said Chief Lisa Davis, identified in the program as chief of police for the Austin Police Department, told the graduates: “If you approach this career with humility, courage, and heart, you will discover what I have come to know. There is no greater calling and no greater reward than serving as a police officer.” She said her office will “fight to ensure you have the best training, the best technology, the best equipment, and the strongest support possible.”
Keynote speaker Matthew Greer, introduced as a former APD officer and the chief of police for Eanes Independent School District, said recruits would continue learning on the job and that community relationships are central to police success. He added that being an Austin police officer “means something” because of the department’s reputation and the relationships officers build.
Names and pinning During the ceremony each graduate came forward to receive a badge pin from a family member or chosen sponsor. The transcript records the names of the graduates and the family members who pinned them, including Thomas Allen, Peter Babiel, Connor Coughlin, Griffith Couch, Amanda DiBiaseo, Eldridge (first name not spoken), Jacob Golden, Joseph Gonzalez, Patrick Gooch, Nicholas Hall, Blair Hanner, Mia Couge, Samantha Miller, Nicholas Moser, Jared Mole (also referenced as Jared Molt in the record), Jeremy Mola, Gregory Pacheco, Devon Perotti, Travis Pell, Kevin Poteet, Isabella Provost, Leon Quiros, Rafael Rosales, Juan Solis, Thomas Stacks, Blake Stricker, Anthony Talavera Garcia, Eric Tamaz, Pierre Thomas, Richard Tyson, Enrico Vendetti, Dylan Williams, Joseph Zirpolo and others listed during the ceremony. (The transcript contains several instances of names delivered in sequence; where the recording omitted a speaker’s full name or where spelling varied in the transcript, the article notes those names as spoken during the ceremony.)
Next steps After the oath, the recruits were dismissed to begin their duties as Austin police officers. The department asked the newly sworn officers to “be vigilant” and to take care of their health and families as they enter street assignments.
Notes on reporting This article summarizes remarks and sequences from the Austin Police Department commissioning and badge-pinning ceremony as reflected in the event transcript. The transcript records the academy start date as Jan. 20, 2025, a 32-week academy, and a graduating class of 35; where the transcript contained variant spellings or omitted a speaker’s full name, the article indicates those names as they were spoken in the ceremony.
