HOUSTON — Dozens of Houston Police Department cadets boarded buses Friday for a multi-cultural bus tour around the most diverse city in the nation. It's part of an effort to build bridges between police and the communities.
About 50 HPD cadets toured five diverse neighborhoods, including the historic Freedmen's Town, the Mexican Consulate and the Montrose Center.
"You all are about to embark on one of the most important careers of your life," they were told before getting on the Metro buses.
An initiative that started back in 2016, the tours are part of HPD's commitment to community policing.
"We want to have a police department that's trauma-informed and culturally specific, so we understand, again, the people that we're serving," said HPD Deputy Director of Community Affairs Carvana Cloud.
"I see the whole process of today being educational, helping us be more equipped when we're responding to different calls, different situations, different cultures," said Cadet William Jones. "So, it's just helping us be better problem solvers."
HPD cadet class 254 will graduate next month.