Fort Wayne police graduate 70th recruit class after more than 1,000 training hours

The Fort Wayne Police Department graduated its 70th recruit class on July 16, 2026, after the recruits completed more than 1,000 hours of academy instruction.

The graduation moves the recruits from the academy to the next stage of their preparation: field training alongside experienced personnel. The department’s announcement does not say how many recruits graduated, how long field training will last or where the recruits will be assigned.

Academy hours exceeded state minimum

The department said the academy program exceeded Indiana’s state-mandated minimum of 600 hours for new law-enforcement officers. The class completed more than 1,000 hours of instruction, exceeding that minimum by more than 400 hours.

Training covered Indiana law, firearms, defensive tactics and emergency-vehicle operations. The curriculum also included cultural diversity, de-escalation, mental-health response, ethics and communication.

The combination of classroom and practical subjects is the training completed before the graduates begin their supervised field phase. The announcement describes the academy requirements and the upcoming field-training assignment, but does not state that the graduates will immediately work independently.

Field training is the next step

Following the July 16 graduation, the recruits will continue their training while working in the field with experienced personnel. That step follows completion of the academy instruction and places the new graduates alongside more experienced officers as their training continues.

The City of Fort Wayne’s announcement did not provide a completion date for field training. It also did not identify eventual assignments, department staffing levels or any expected effect on public-safety operations.

The department’s 70th recruit-class graduation marks the completion of its academy phase and the transition to supervised field service for the graduates.