Mayor Perkins Tells New Officers Why Relations Are ‘Strained’

Mayor Adrian Perkins addressed the graduating class of the Shreveport Police Academy. 20 new officers have gotten their badges and will be protecting our city.
The Mayor spoke about the role police play in a nation of laws and the community-oriented approach of modern policing.

Here is video of the Mayor's speech:

The Mayor says "No goal worth pursuing is easily attained, and over the last 18 weeks, you've endured quite an ordeal. You are joining a unique group of people, a group bound by a commitment to something larger than themselves."

Perkins did give them some advice on how to do their jobs

Police Officers are indispensable in a free and peaceful society. They serve and protect the public—and often under challenging conditions that most of us cannot comprehend.
When you put on that uniform—when you respond to a call for help—you are responding to a higher calling. Answering this call requires courage and bravery.
It is not for the faint of heart. Police Officers have a job that is unlike any other. Behind the badge, you are fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters.
You’re a human being, just like the rest of us. But when you report for duty, you put all that on the line. You risk your life so that the rest of us can live ours, and for that, we are forever grateful.
You are preparing to leave the Academy and enter the Department. You're going from the classroom to the streets, from the ideal to the real.
This is where your dream will meet with what it actually means to be a Police Officer.

Mayor Perkins also talked about what kinds of officers we need in our city:

Shreveport needs Police Officers who follow their conscience and fall back on their training. But we also need Officers who are willing to go the extra mile.
Modern policing is more than just crime fighting. It's about building relationships with the communities you serve, and this is difficult. It takes effort and patience. It takes Police Officers who are committed to their craft.
It's no secret that relations are strained between law enforcement and certain segments of the community. This is true all over the country, not just in Shreveport.