Friday was an exciting day for dozens of new Edmonton police officers.
A graduation ceremony was held at city hall Friday, for the Edmonton Police Service’s recruit training class 158. The class is made up of 49 new police officers and three canine teams, who will serve in both Edmonton and Lacombe.
Among the new officers is Const. Daniel Castaneda, who was born in Medellin, Colombia. He moved to Edmonton with his mother and brother in 2010.
Castaneda learned about a career in policing from his school resource officer. He completed his diploma in police studies. Prior to joining the EPS, Castaneda worked in security and then as an Alberta Health Services community peace officer.
Castaneda hopes he can be a positive role model for others in the Hispanic community.
Const. Michelle Pochapsky, from Didsbury, Alta., is another one of the new recruits. She played women’s hockey while attending NAIT and MacEwan University. For her “leadership and powerhouse performance,” Pochapsky was named the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference Women’s Hockey Player of the Year in 2015-2016.
Pochapsky completed two diplomas before joining the EPS.
Born and raised in Edmonton, Const. Andrew Woloshyn worked as an elementary school teacher for 11 years before moving into a career in policing. He grew up dreaming of being a police officer but said he wanted to get some real life experience before applying with the EPS.
He hopes to work with youth in the community. Woloshyn was named the valedictorian for recruit training class 158.
The EPS said this is the first of several large recruit classes that are planned over the next few years.
Friday’s graduation was the first event held inside city hall since a shooting inside the building in January.
The event was part of a phased reopening of the building, which remains closed to the general public.