Their training is intense, the physical and emotional stresses more, perhaps, than they’ve ever felt before. They must push themselves beyond the limits they once thought they had and be prepared to think and act quickly and rationally in the moments that follow those unfamiliar peaks and valleys.

When they finally graduate the police academy after weeks of brutal training, Suffolk’s newest police officers step into a career that will set them apart from much of the rest of the community. Yet the job they do is one the community cannot exist without.

As they move into the next phase of their training, these new police officers will learn a little bit more about the city they have sworn to serve in an arrangement that will make them better officers by virtue, in part, of the fact that they have become more solidly connected both with the force under which they serve and with the community they’ve been trained to protect.

Earlier this week, the five new Suffolk police officers who received their badges in a regular ceremony held for graduating police recruits also received the first public evidence that they have the strength of body and character, the intestinal fortitude and the desire to serve that characterize the best law enforcement officers.

Their new badges also, of course, attest to the confidence that the city of Suffolk places in them and the high regard with which city officials hold these new officers. A great responsibility has been laid on the shoulders of each of the five men and women who have joined the Suffolk Police Department.

We wish them safety and a fulfilling career in the Suffolk Police Department. And we’re proud to have them wearing the uniforms of the SPD.