Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Holds Graduation Ceremony for Two Classes
Twenty-seven recruits graduate from the PBP Training Academy
Pittsburgh, PA – On Friday, January 31, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police held its first graduation ceremony for 2025, swearing in twenty-seven new officers from Basic Recruit classes 24-01 and 24-02 at the Community College of Allegheny County North Side campus.
Training Academy Commander William Fleske emceed the ceremony and encouraged the recruits to be proud of the new skills they had learned while in the academy. And while they had fully demonstrated the ability to now apply those on the job, Commander Fleske cautioned against being too eager to use them all immediately.
"My advice to you tonight is to slow down, be in the moment. Tonight that means, enjoy the ceremony, enjoy everybody who came out to see you. Take an extra photo, shake an extra hand, focus on what is right in front of you. In your future, I hope you take that advice into your career. There's an expression that military and law enforcement folks use; 'slow is smooth and smooth is fast,' slow down, breathe...be in the moment every time you put that badge on."
Acting Chief of Police Christopher Ragland called it an incredible honor to celebrate the new recruits on the occasion of their graduation, welcoming them into a proud tradition of service, sacrifice, and integrity.
"You've earned the right to wear the badge and with it comes great responsibility to serve and protect the people of our great city with honor, courage, and unwavering commitment," said Ragland.
Before administering the Oath of Office, Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt congratulated the recruits on the successful completion of months of rigorous training and for answering the call to serve.
"You are entering a profession that requires courage, resilience, and unwavering dedication to the betterment of society. Always remember the weight of the badge you wear and the trust that is bestowed upon you by the citizens of Pittsburgh," said Schmidt.
The 17 officers from basic recruit class 24-02 completed 40 weeks of classroom instruction at the Pittsburgh Police Training Academy. They will now be assigned to their respective duty locations around the city to complete 12 weeks of field training. Nine others from basic recruit class 24-01 were sworn in during an informal ceremony in late December. They have been on patrol since then, but were formally acknowledged on Friday with family and friends present.
Officer Benjamin Uminski was also officially sworn in as part of the larger ceremony. Officer Uminski was a member of the first recruit class in 2023, but his time in the academy was interrupted when he was deployed with the military during his police training.
Congratulations to all of the new officers. We wish you a safe and successful career with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police!
Recruit Class BR 24-01 - Miguel Armijo-Reed, Aaron Bowser, Brandon DeKort, Colin DiNardo, Gary Galiyas, Adrian Grazette, Michael Janczewski, Andrew McIntire, and John Nguyen.
Recruit Class BR 24-02 - Roman Booker, Tiger Burkes, Aidan Chandler, Collin Christensen, Zachary Crosmun, Karl Edmonds, Nicholas Ennis, Chase Hannan, Lucas Kovach, Aaron Lattner, Aaron Nero, Kyle Novak, Robert Poindexter, William Trott, Ryan Wierzchowski, Joseph Young, and Brendan Zink.
Recruit Class BR 23-01 - Benjamin Uminski.
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