Five new BART Police officers graduate from Alameda County Sheriff’s Department academy

BART Police Chief Ed Alvarez (third from right) with the new BPD recruits.

On Monday, five BART Police recruits took their oaths to serve and protect the community at a ceremony celebrating their graduation from the Alameda County Sheriff Department’s police academy.

Joined by their friends and families, Ilyas Hassan, Marvin Hill III, Balreet Khaira, Justis Miller, and Kyle Spalla received their gold badges Monday morning having successfully completed the 28-week training course. They were among sixty individuals who were feted at a two-hour ceremony that began with the fierce tones of a bagpipe and ended with hollers, cheers, and photos.

The five BPD recruits will join a force of more than 200 officers who patrol the entirety of the BART system and help keep riders safe. (BPD is actively recruiting – and offering bonuses – to interested parties who qualify. You can find out more about BPD and its recruitment process on bart.gov).

The day began with a procession from the parking lot into the auditorium of Cornerstone Fellowship in Livermore, where the event was held. The 60 recruits practiced their drills for a crowd of hundreds of friends and family members, who proudly held up their cell phone cameras, attempting to snap a photo of the action.

Following the drills and inspection, attendees filed into the auditorium for the graduation ceremony, which included remarks from Captain Victor Fox and Sheriff Gregory Ahern of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department, among others.

Speaking against the backdrop of a massive American flag, Ahern expressed his pride in this class of recruits and offered words of encouragement and inspiration.  

BART Police Chief Ed Alvarez (right) with the new BPD recruits.

“We thank you and we applaud you for accomplishing the great feat of graduating from the 173rd academy,” Ahern said to an almost completely packed auditorium. “You’re graduating from the academy, but you’re not done…We want you to be bold, to be brave, to be brilliant. You’re law enforcement officers but also guardians.”

Following the distribution of diplomas and badges, the recruits said their oaths and dispersed for hugs and photos with their families.

Among the attendees was BPD Chief Ed Alvarez, who seized a quiet moment to offer some words of encouragement to his new employees on the stage.

“He told us this is when time starts, to look out for ourselves and for our partners,” said Khaira, one of the BPD recruits. “Those are the two things our job is going to encompass now.”

Alvarez, who noted that this was the largest class BPD has had “in a long time,” said the Alameda police academy offers incredibly rigorous training to budding police officers, teaching them everything from defense and tactics to driving and mental toughness.  

The 173rd graduating class of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department academy.

“You’ll never forget your academy graduation or your classmates,” Alvarez said. “I still run into academy mates.”

Miller, a BPD recruit, said he was excited to finish this aspect of training and to “continue learning” at BPD and in the field. He said the recruits are expected at BPD Headquarters the day after graduation – at 6 a.m. – to begin their monthlong, internal training before their out-in-the-field training begins.

“I chose BPD because it has so many different opportunities, and it’s an exceptional opportunity to help people you wouldn’t normally get to help,” Miller said.

Khaira, the only female BPD officer in her graduating class, said she is “very proud of the department I’m about to join.”

“The training program is rigorous,” she said, “but we graduate knowing we can do better as peace officers.”

To learn more about BPD and its commitment to progressive policing, visit bart.gov.