It was a milestone day for Long Beach policing on Thursday as 85 fresh graduates from Academy Class #100 raised their right hands and officially joined the ranks. The months-long basic academy cycle wrapped with a formal graduation ceremony at the Long Beach Police Department's training campus, where Chief Wally Hebeish welcomed the new officers as they get ready to hit the streets under supervised field training.
The department announced the graduation on its official Facebook page, noting that Class #100 included 85 recruits who trained for five months, according to Long Beach Police Department (Facebook). The July 9, 2026 post thanked families and training staff and shared photos from the ceremony. Officials said the new officers will now enter the department's field training program before they are fully deployed.
Class 100's Start And Curriculum
City coverage earlier this year highlighted just how big this cohort was when it launched. In January, 98 recruits started the academy, the largest intake in department history, as described by InsideLB News. That reporting explained that the basic academy runs roughly 26 weeks and covers criminal law, patrol procedures, firearms training, defensive tactics, physical fitness and emergency vehicle operations.
Graduation does not mean the learning stops. After the academy, recruits typically complete about a year of supervised in-field training before taking on solo patrol duties, according to the same coverage. For the new officers of Class #100, that next chapter starts now.
New Training Campus
Class #100 also gets bragging rights as the first group to train entirely at the city's newly modernized Police Academy, which officials have called "a once-in-a-generation investment in public safety." A January ribbon-cutting unveiled expanded classrooms, an updated gym and other upgrades across the campus, all intended to boost training capacity.
"Our new Police Academy represents our commitment to providing the highest level of training," Chief Wally Hebeish said at the time, according to a City of Long Beach press release. For the 85 graduates in this historic class, those new facilities have been home base from day one.
Staffing Impact And Incentives
The sheer size of Class #100 is not an accident. Officials have framed the larger class as part of a broader recruitment push to fill vacancies, with the department budgeted for roughly 797 sworn positions. Coverage has noted that hiring bonuses along with housing and childcare incentives have been on the table to help draw applicants, as reported by InsideLB News.
Leaders say the influx of graduates is expected to ease pressure on patrol as they rotate through field training and probation. The large intake is part of a longer game to keep the pipeline of officers flowing to meet public safety demands in neighborhoods across Long Beach.
Where The Academy Is
The revamped training campus sits just south of the Walmart Supercenter on East Carson Street, a detail familiar to locals who drive the corridor regularly. A District 4 newsletter notes that a large badge sculpture now marks the entrance at 7250 E. Carson St., Long Beach, according to the District 4 newsletter. The site now serves as the central hub for both recruit instruction and advanced training for current officers.
The department has shared photos and remarks from the graduation on its social channels, underscoring the symbolic weight of Class #100. As the new officers fan out into field training in the coming months, city officials are betting that the expanded academy and stepped-up recruitment will be crucial to keeping staffing levels stable and meeting Long Beach's evolving public safety needs.
