Seven new officers of the Los Banos Police Department graduated from the Fresno City College Police Academy on March 28. They are the largest group from Los Banos to go through the academy. Melden said the average group size is four.
According to Los Banos Police Commander Justin Melden, their next assignment will be a 14-week field training program.
The graduating officers are Rafael Gonzalez, Rayshawn Owens, Max Pugh, Joshua Tovar, Marco Alvarado, Benjamin Silva and Kristian Rocha. They are between 23 and 31 years of age, and some are former Marines.
The group had a special introduction to the city at the April 2 city council meeting. “They are the cream of the crop. They rose to the top,” Los Banos Police Chief Ray Reyna said.
All seven survived an intense hiring process, Reyna said. “I think that Los Banos is in good hands. This is the next generation of law enforcement officers that you will see in our community,” he stated. “And I’m very proud of them.”
Each officer expressed their willingness to serve when the mic was passed around at the council meeting. Rocha said, “I’m just happy to be here. Thank you for having me.” Silva stated, “I want to give the best I can to you guys.”
“I’ve lived here all my life, and I just wanted to give back to the community that gave so much to me,” Tovar explained. Owens stated, “I’m looking forward to serving our city.”
“We’re going to give our best to serve you guys,” Alvarado said. Pugh stated, “I’m looking forward to this job,” and Gonzalez said, “We’re proud to serve here in Los Banos.”
Capping off the introduction, Gonzalez and Owens had a jiu-jitsu belt promotion. Gonzalez acquired a brown belt, while Owens obtained a third-degree purple belt. All officers received a standing ovation.
The seven officers started their time at the academy on Sept. 23, 2024. The program lasted for 186 days—slightly over six months. To survive the process, Melden said the cadets showed “strong moral character, the ambition and drive to serve the community and a service mindset.”
At the academy, hours aren’t set. Melden explained, “It goes from the evenings, days, nights.” During the academy, “they focus on patrol techniques, report writing, physical training, law and procedure,” Melden said.
“They spent over 1,033 hours in the [Fresno] police academy,” Melden stated. While they did get Christmas off, “they didn’t have very much time off at all through this,” said Melden.
“I told them, ‘Consider yourself deployed. Make sure your families understand that because you are going to live, breathe and eat the police academy for six months,’” Reyna recounted at the council meeting.
At the academy, Pugh was recognized for tying in second for academic performance with a 99 percent score. Pugh was also second for the Law Enforcement Skills Award.
“It was a great experience,” Tovar said at the council meeting. “Six months was not easy, the academy was very tough, and we were able to pull through,” Gonzalez said.
Reyna further recounted that at their graduation, a Fresno captain said to him, “I don’t know what Los Banos is doing, but your seven were unbelievably outstanding, and it was very hard for us not to try and take them.”
During the academy, six of the seven would pile into one vehicle to get to Fresno, with the other staying in Fresno for the duration. “I’m sure it was stuffed,” Melden said.
In Los Banos, the seven have started their 14-week field training program. Field training officers will train the seven to be effective patrol officers that will “handle the needs of the community,” Melden said.
Alvarado said at the council meeting, “If you ever see us on the streets, converse with us, ask us questions if you have any, and we’ll gladly help you out.”
Currently, the police department is authorized to have 48 officers, with roughly 1,000 residents per officer. With this new group of seven, there are only four vacant spots in the department.
The next group of trainees has not yet been assembled. Melden mentioned that a few interested officers are willing to transfer from other agencies to Los Banos, although there is nothing concrete yet.
