BATON ROUGE - Twenty-eight men and women wanting to become police officers in Baton Rouge were introduced Tuesday morning.

The group started the police academy this week. The newest recruits are the first class of potential police officers since the officer ambush in July.

The police department said people signed up in the wake of the tragedy, wanting to better the community.

"There was a push of individuals who expressed interest in (becoming) police officers after all of that happened," department spokesperson L'Jean McKneely said. "They want to make a difference."

This class features the son of one Baton Rouge Police officer, Cpl. Isreal Chatman, who said his family understands the challenges and sacrifices of being a police officer.

"We know he's going to have to deal with it," Chatman said.

"I want to make him proud," Chatman's son, Zahcary Projean, said about why he wanted to become a police officer.

The academy runs twenty-two weeks. Graduates will be assigned to patrol with veteran officers for another four months.

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