The Chicago Police Department (CPD) Superintendent Eddie Johnson welcomed 107 new police recruits to the Department’s Training Academy, the second class of 2018 and another step in the city’s plan to grow CPD by nearly 1,000 officers. The Police Department is not only growing in total size, but is also more diverse today than ever before and has the most diverse leadership in CPD history. This new class builds on the progress that has been made, as 55 percent of the February class of recruits are minority. This group of new recruits is also 25 percent female and includes 34 CPS graduates, 10 military veterans and 15 with CPD family members. Since the beginning of 2017, more than 1,200 new recruits, 52 Lieutenants, 142 Sergeants, 270 Detectives and 200 Field Training Officers have entered the Academy. All told, the Department has 720 more sworn active positions than at the beginning of 2017. During six months of training at Police Academy, recruits learn all applicable laws and protocols for being a Chicago Police Officer. In addition to physical training, they receive instruction in procedural justice, mental health awareness, crisis intervention and de-escalation, use of force, community building and critical thinking.