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Local mother supports daughter's MPD dreams

Posted at 7:29 PM, Dec 05, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-05 20:29:38-05

MILWAUKEE -- Monday marked day one of training for the newest Milwaukee Police Department recruits.

"I'm very excited," Vera Knalls said. "I'm very elated. It's been a long time waiting for this moment to happen."

Knalls' daughter, Janay Ward, is one of the 58 new recruits. According to Knalls, her daughter was wait listed three years before being inducted into the academy.

"As a little girl, this is something that she always wanted to do," Knalls said.

However, although Ward has always wanted to work in law enforcement, Knalls admits to sometimes being afraid.

"[Fear] did run through my head," Knalls said. "But I can't hold [my daughter] back from her dream."

The climate of this country does not help ease Knalls' nerves. Even locally, the violence in Sherman Park this summer has challenged the relationship between the black community and men and women in blue.

"We're at a time in our culture in American history where the police are viewed differently by different people," Mayor Tom Barrett said.

Yet, despite this difficult time,  Barrett said he's confident in his police department, and the new recruiting class.