Thirty new officers joined the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD), which patrols McLean and surrounding communities, after graduating Thursday, Oct. 15, from a six-month training program at the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy.

The officers were part of a 38-member graduating class that also included seven Fairfax County sheriff's deputies and one Herndon Police Department officer, according to a department announcement. Designated Session 92, the class completed coursework in firearms, defensive tactics, emergency vehicle operations, physical conditioning and tactical response.

The graduates range in age from 20 to 55 and collectively hold 17 academic degrees, from associate degrees to doctorates. Seventeen speak a second language, covering 11 languages: Spanish, Tagalog, German, Mandarin, Arabic, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Korean, Hebrew and Farsi. Some were born or raised in Iraq, Qatar, Iran, Canada, Türkiye, Poland and China.

Eleven served in the U.S. military across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Among them are Black Hawk helicopter pilots, Afghanistan veterans and Combat Action Badge recipients, the department said. Other graduates previously worked as teachers, surgical dental assistants, Peace Corps volunteers, bakers, actors, television makeup artists and private security professionals.

The department also highlighted recruits' outside accomplishments, including robotics competitions, Division I athletics, coding, poetry and music, Patch reported.

FCPD reported a 3% vacancy rate in an April staffing update, crediting its Pre-Academy Recruit Program for drawing the highest applicant numbers since 2017.