LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Before she decided to become a police officer, Jennie Diaz spent several years working as a Zamboni driver at Vegas Golden Knights games at T-Mobile Arena.
On Tuesday, Diaz was one of 57 Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department academy graduates who were celebrated during a ceremony at The Orleans casino.
"It's an amazing experience," Diaz said minutes after receiving her police badge. "To know that all the time and effort we've put in towards this career paying off, it's great."
Diaz said she worked at T-Mobile Arena for five years before deciding to pursue a career as an officer.
"It was a great experience," Diaz said. "It was fantastic seeing how dedicated the fans were. It's an experience not everyone gets to have. I was just amazed I actually got to do it."
Many of the new recruits came from military backgrounds and/or police families.
One, John Burrus, has even previously worked as a Chippendales model here in Las Vegas.
Each of the recruits went through a rigorous six-month training program in order to graduate from the academy.
"It was hard," Burrus said. "It felt great to be able to rely on each other through the process. We have each other's backs and that feels good."
LVMPD said the new police officers included 49 men and eight women that were between 22 and 39 years old.
The department said the new class of recruits was dedicated to Officer David VanBuskirk, who lost his life during a search and rescue mission at Mount Charleston in 2013.
