LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — The Dona Ana County Sheriff says 21 cadets will graduate from the department's academy on Thursday.
A graduation ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Dona Ana Community College's east campus in Las Cruces, with state Supreme Court Chief Justice Barbara Vigil and New Mexico Court of Appeals Chief Judge Michael Vigil are expected to deliver remarks.
Sheriff's spokeswoman Kelly Jameson says the graduations ceremony follows more than five months of training for the cadets at a department law enforcement academy.
Cadets are trained on proper patrol and arrest procedures, use-of-force and firearms. They also receive training on how to handle DWI cases and to boost their physical agility.
Jameson says cadet will become deputies after a 14-week probationary period that involves field-training.