ST. PAUL, Minn. — The St. Paul Police Academy has graduated its largest and most diverse class in at least 30 years, including its first officer from the Karen (kah-REN') ethnic minority in Myanmar.
Ler Htoo spent the first three years of his life in Myanmar, then 15 in refugee camps in Thailand. He and his family moved to St. Paul in 2009.
Htoo tells the Star Tribune of Minneapolis (http://strib.mn/1JfDrhe ) he wants to help people, and wants to be the one people can count on in his community.
The 47 new officers sworn in Thursday night include five women, nine Asians, three African-Americans and 15 military veterans. They bring the department up to 615 officers, the most in city history.
The new officers now begin 16 weeks of field training with veteran officers.
