The city will soon see beefed up police patrol, with seven new graduates from the Hampton Roads Criminal Justice Training Academy joining the ranks of the Suffolk Police Department.

The new officers completed the academy’s basic law enforcement class last week, receiving specialized training in firearms, driving, defensive tactics, accident investigation, criminal and traffic laws, patrol techniques, first aid and CPR.

These officers have returned to the department and are currently receiving five weeks of in-house training, said Lt. Debbie George, spokesman for the Suffolk Police Department.

Once the classroom portion is complete, the officers will complete several weeks of field training with officers.

The new officers include:

n Devon Booth is originally from Cleveland, Ohio.

She

and her husband, Thom McDonald, live in Suffolk. The couple has a daughter, Shay, and son, Shawn.

Booth feels one of her biggest challenges will be learning her way around Suffolk’s 430 square miles.

n William Bradshaw, 24, is a Suffolk native who attended Radford University.

He said his biggest challenge in the academy was taking tests everyday.

n William “Troy” Hoyle, a native of Muncie, Ind., comes to the Suffolk department after a career in the military. He and his wife, Emily, currently reside in Chesapeake with their sons, Joshua, Billy and Breaden, and daughter Michaela.

n Ralph Pabon, a New York native, recently retired from the Navy as a chief petty officer. Pabon joined the department because he recognized Suffolk as a growing city.

Pabon and his wife, Rebecca, live in Virginia Beach. He has a son, Ralph Alexander, 21, who is stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., with the 82nd Airborne Division; and two daughters, Raquela, 17, and Renee Ashley, 15.

n Isaac Lopez, a native of New Mexico, is also former military.

He and his wife, Cathy, live in Virginia Beach.

Lopez said he joined the Suffolk department because he wanted to be back in a structured organization with room for growth. He is hoping to complete his criminal justice degree.

n William Maxwell, 24, and his wife, Tessa, live in Suffolk. The Pittsburgh native believes his biggest challenge when he hits the streets will be “learning the ins and outs of the streets and how to get from place to place.”

n Tasha Sweeden, 22, is a native of California. She and her parents, retired Navy Chief Michael and Lupe Sweeden, have settled in the Western Branch section of Chesapeake.

Sweeden, who loves to paint and is a muralist, hopes to make a positive impact on the department and city by offering fresh ideas and solutions to problems.