Not since the COVID-19 outbreak has the Shreveport Police Department had as many recruits in a class as are currently training at its academy on Greenwood Road in the western part of the city.
Monday, a group that started with about 200 applicants and was whittled down to 18 started training for what SPD Chief Wayne Smith told them should be a “guardian mentality.” Smith, speaking before meeting the class Friday morning as they gathered for paperwork and to learn academy protocol, said trainee groups have ranged from four to 12 recently.
It is the department’s 94th academy class, and training lasts about 16 weeks…