The Baton Rouge Police Department's 26 newest members stood in front of family and friends Monday morning and celebrated the sense of common purpose they've gained over months of basic training, preparing to take their first steps into a new career. 

Simon Newsome, the recruit who graduated with the highest scores overall, spent the past few years working in sales and tech support before deciding to finally pursue what felt like a calling. His wife and infant son attended the graduation ceremony at Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge. 

Joe Williams IV, 56 — the oldest person ever to complete the department's basic training academy — said the first month was the hardest, but his experience in the military police and the constant support of his classmates kept him coming back for more.

Williams grew up in Baton Rouge and chose this second career in hopes of contributing to the department's ongoing push to build trust with the public through what he described as compassionate policing. 

Zephani Daigle, 21, graduated from Southern University with a degree in criminal justice this past December and is now fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a police officer. Daigle said she's proud to be one of four female members of the Baton Rouge Police Department's 85th officer academy. 

She's from Texas but moved to Baton Rouge to attend college. More than a dozen relatives and friends came to celebrate with her Monday morning, watching as her mom, Lisa Daigle, pinned the newly earned badge onto her daughter's uniform during the ceremony. 

"She told me no waterworks, so I'm trying to hold it together," Lisa Daigle said with a smile. "This is her dream. … She's always been a champion for the underdog." 

Lisa Daigle said she was concerned about her daughter's small stature — most of the other recruits stood several inches taller than her — but the proud mom reminded herself that "dynamite comes in small packages." 

The class started training in March with 32 recruits and 26 wound up completing the program. It's typical that some drop out for various reasons, including the physical and psychological challenges they face.

The graduates will now shadow other officers in the field before they start working on their own. 

They're joining the force at a time of change that has created some turmoil within the department's ranks.

Chief Murphy Paul's recent decision to issue a public apology for the 2016 police shooting of Alton Sterling brought tensions to the surface and drew criticism from some of his subordinates, including union leaders. 

But the focus Monday morning was on their shared responsibility: to protect and serve the people of Baton Rouge.

"I want to recognize our officers who have earned the right to wear a uniform that we hold near to our hearts," Paul said during the ceremony. "The uniform that you wear represents the department's core values: honesty, integrity, fairness — as these foster public support and confidence. This core set of beliefs determines the organization's survival and success. The deep tradition began many years ago and now the responsibility … is handed down to each one of you."

Paul noted that the 26 new officers will help reduce a deepening manpower shortage that has grown over the past several months. The department will remain about 74 officers short even after this class of trainees joins the force, which leaves vacant more than 10 percent of its 698 allotted positions.

Low starting salaries have made it difficult for the department to recruit qualified candidates in recent years, and some have pointed to the current administration's leadership decisions as a possible reason officers are leaving the department for other law enforcement agencies.

Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome promised a long-awaited pay raise for officers during her remarks at the ceremony. She also urged the new graduates to demonstrate "compassionate and effective policing" and encouraged them to "rise above the fray that you often encounter and let faith sustain you in the face of danger." 

"You all put your lives on the line every day, and we don't take that for granted," Broome said. "Don't let the negativity of naysayers take root in your heart, but recognize that yours is an honorable calling. Recognize that if God is for you, who can be against you?"

The recruits chose the following motto to be displayed on their class flag, a department tradition: "one family, one fight."

Officer Jermaine Javius, who was elected class president, called on his colleagues to honor that message and help foster a relationship of trust between Baton Rouge residents and police — one of the department's top priorities.

"We recognize we are one family fighting for the same cause. … We are committed to making a better Baton Rouge," he said. "My brothers and my sisters, let's change the world. Let's make an undeniable impact."

Email Lea Skene at lskene@theadvocate.com.

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