New, More Diverse Class of HUPD Officers Graduates, Part of Riley's Vision for Dept.

"I always wanted to be a police officer," said a beaming John Buckley, Just moments after he became one.

Buckley, a new Medford Police officer was the class president of the first graduates from the Metropolitan Boston Transit Authority (MBTA) police academy. Their graduation, which was held in Sanders Theatre, had a unique Harvard flavor.

Indeed, the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) co-sponsored their training, and 13 of the new officers were wearing HUPD uniforms. Most of the department's top brass including Chief Francis D. "Bud" Riley-attended.

Call them the class of 1999.

They are diverse-six of the 13 HUPD graduates are female, more than all the other department's graduates combined.

The HUPD graduates included Stephen O'Connor, a 40-year-old father who once worked for Harvard's Facility Maintenance Operations.

"I plan to stay and serve the community in a different capacity," he said, his daughter Lauren tugging at the leg of his uniform.

For O'Connor, Buckley and the dozens of other graduates from several local police departments, their path to the job has been rough.

It began in a pavement parking lot at the Naval Reserve Center in Quincy, where they said good-bye to families before 21 months of intensive training. The officers in training lived at the site and saw their families only infrequently during that time.

Reveille was "oh-seven-twenty"-- 7:20 a.m.-- Buckley said. Two hours of physical training followed. The rest of the day was spent in classrooms and on the shooting range. They learned how to investigate crimes, secure a scene, talk to witnesses, write reports and fire their weapons.

"They put on a first-rate academy," Buckley said of his instructors.

But the most important lesson, according to the new officers and one of the instructors, HUPD sergeant Robert Kotowsk, was an age-old maxim of police work.

"They came in as individuals and tried to process [the training,]" Kotowski said. "Then they realized that you have to work as a team."

Riley, visibly moved by the graduation ceremony, said Saturday that HUPD's role in the police academy fits his philosophy for the department's future. This is the first class of officers to graduate under Riley's tenure.

"[They show] exactly where we're going as a police department," Riley said.

The planning and selection process that led up to the graduation took nearly two years.

Whereas previous chiefs had emphasized scores on civil service exams, Riley said he favored a more holistic selection approach-one that would incorporate diversity, experience and the potential to connect with the Harvard community.

The 13 new officers on the beat mean that understaffing problems as old as Riley's tenure as chief will finally be relieved. For the next several weeks, the officers will work with more experienced officers and get a sense of what field work at Harvard is like.

Riley he hopes the graduation in Sanders Theatre at Harvard will help the new officers to feel at home.

"I felt as though these kids would remember this throughout their live," he said.

The ceremony was similar to other graduations, except that the children of the graduates ran around the theatre and yelled to the solemn graduates on the floor.

Bagpipers serenaded the officers as they entered Sanders in crisp, military formation. Until the moment when family members pinned their badges to their chest, the officers remained stoic.

Afterwards, though there were plenty of tears and hugs. Even old-time police officials like Riley and the top brass of the MBTA police said they were moved.

"It went off flawlessly," Riley said.

The new officers are Andrea McNally, Anthony Carvello, Amy Schlosberg, Kristin Metivier, David Burns, Patricia Lio, Andrew Gilbert, Denis Downing, Stephen O'Connor, Brian Spellman, Michael Price, Amy DiVirgilio and Julie Bates.