Cincinnati Graduates 54 New Police Recruits
The academy's 119th recruit class joins a department about 100 officers below authorized strength.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Law Enforcement
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The Cincinnati Police Academy graduated 54 new recruits from its 119th recruit class after 26 weeks of training. The graduates will complete 13 more weeks of training before reporting to one of the city's four police districts for field training.
Why it matters
The Cincinnati Police Department is about 100 officers short of its authorized strength because of retirements and attrition. The new graduates help fill that gap, while another academy class is expected to begin in February.
The 54 graduates of the 119th recruit class have completed 26 weeks of academy training and face 13 more weeks before field placement. The department remains about 100 officers short of authorized strength, and the source does not say how many recruits will stay through their first year.
The players
Cincinnati Police Department
The municipal police agency serving Cincinnati, which runs the police academy and assigns graduates to its four districts.
The details
Training covered criminal law, de-escalation techniques, responses to dangerous situations, physical exercise, subject control, firearms techniques, and tactful approaches to citizens who need help. After graduation, recruits will report to one of Cincinnati's four police districts for 13 weeks of field training.
Timeline
Recruits began 26 weeks of academy training before graduation.
The 54 recruits graduated on November 6, 2026.
Graduates complete 13 weeks of additional training before field placement.
Another academy class is expected to begin in February.
Legal Context
The 119th recruit class is part of Cincinnati's ongoing cycle of academy classes that replace officers lost to retirement and attrition. Each class is intended to feed new officers into the city's four districts, and the department's approximately 100-officer shortfall shows that the cycle has not yet caught up with departures.
The 54 new officers will begin field training in Cincinnati's four police districts after 13 weeks of additional instruction. Residents may see more officers on patrol as graduates move into districts, though the source does not specify where or when those changes will occur.
The takeaway
The graduation adds 54 officers to a department still about 100 short of full strength, and the February academy class will determine how quickly that gap narrows. Readers can track staffing levels as later classes graduate.
What happens next
Another academy class is expected to begin in February, when the department will continue its recruiting effort.
Further reading
For more on how local agencies handle recruitment and staffing, see Law Enforcement coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WLWT5.
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