HARTFORD -- “It means the world,” said Thomas Ganley, one of Hartford's newest officers.
A simple summarization of 30 weeks of grueling physical and mental training. On average, only one in nine recruits make it all the way through the over 100 different areas of training. Ganley was one of them. He became a fourth-generation police officer joining a tradition that began with his Great Grandmother.
"Ever since I was a kid, this is all I ever wanted to do," said Ganley. "It feels great to finally accomplish it and make my family proud."
In attendance was Thomas' father, a Middletown officer and his grandfather, a retired Newington Police Chief.
"It means a lot to me, to my father, to him," said Thomas Ganley of the Middletown Police Department. "It’s a connection that can’t be broken."
A bond was also forged between Ganley and the 26 others that graduated as a part of the Hartford Police Department Basic Training class 2018-3. Members from the class will join Hartford, East Hartford, UConn, Windsor and South Windsor police forces.
It’s the third class that began in 2018. It's the first time Hartford graduated three classes in hopes of keeping up with the number of officers retiring from the force making each graduate that much more impactful.
"It’s huge," said Sergeant Michael Chauvin. "Every officer is going to make a difference."
Sergeant Chauvin helped with much of the training that the newly pinned officers went through. His advice to each of them is to treat everyone like family and he hopes they all enjoy a long career like the one he has had.
“The important thing is that we all go home at the end of shift and it’s paramount that that happens,” said Sergeant Chauvin.
Every class that goes through the academy creates a class motto. Theirs? The effort today earns tomorrow. Something each of them plans to do over a long career.