LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A new class of recruits are ending their week with a new badge of honor as they begin service with the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections.

The officers are graduating days after the U.S. Department of Justice released their report on the Louisville Metro Police Department investigations, which found evidence of violating the fourth amendment, a history of discrimination and failing to support officers adequately. 

Mayor Craig Greenberg was there to help honor the new graduates.

“I’m grateful to each of you for accepting the honor and challenge of being a corrections officer,” the mayor said in his remarks to the class.

The officer’s job is to make sure those in Metro Corrections live in a safe and secure environment. They must do this while upholding the constitutional and civil protection of inmates.

Recent graduate Fan Chiech Kung says that this new role will require certain character traits. “You got to have your honesty and integrity, and everything is appropriate, conducting yourself in a very appropriate manner,” he explained.

The graduates went through a rigorous program to ensure the correction facility will function properly.

“I don’t have to tell you or your families that you took on one of the most challenging, and I hope rewarding, careers in public service,” Greenberg said. 

The Louisville Department of Metro Correction is an adult detention center in downtown Louisville.

The department has focused their energy on recruitment after reporting being understaffed. The facility has drawn criticism after allowing at least 12 people to die in their custody in 2022.