NORTH LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — North Las Vegas welcomed 39 new police officers to its department Wednesday in its largest graduating class, including four officers born and raised in the city.
Among them is 30-year-old Ilani Mitchell, who said she is excited to give back to the community that shaped her.
"It was a long journey, a long process. It feels amazing. I am so excited, like my heart is pounding right now," Mitchell said.
Jhovani Carrillo spoke to one of the new recruits about what it means for her to serve the city where she grew up:
Mitchell has long dreamed of wearing the badge for the police department in the city where she grew up.
"Try to build my community up, but from the community I came from, which was North Las Vegas," Mitchell said.
The class was sworn in during a ceremony at the College of Southern Nevada. Mitchell said the road to get there was not easy — "It was brutal."
When asked what kept her motivated, Mitchell credited her faith.
"God. Definitely, God. I even had a little bible in my backpack," Mitchell said.
Her hard work paid off. Mitchell was among the recruits recognized with a physical training award at Wednesday's ceremony.
"I did the most push-ups, I ran the fastest, and did the most sit-ups out of the females," Mitchell said.
Mitchell spent years building toward this moment. She earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, served in the U.S. Army, and later worked as a corrections officer with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. She said those experiences have prepared her for what lies ahead.
"It's going to help a lot. I learned how to talk to people, how to de-escalate," Mitchell said.
Mitchell hopes to inspire the next generation by showing them what is possible when they pursue their goals.
"So they can see people in North Las Vegas can make a better impact," Mitchell said.
The new officers' training is not over. They still have roughly 23 weeks of field training to complete.
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