"I want to help people:" City leaders swear-in 2015 Police Ambassador Class

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Police Chief Ed Flynn and members of the Common Council swore-in the 17 young adults selected to take part in the 2015 Milwaukee Police Ambassador Program on Wednesday morning, March 4th.

"I want to help people. I want to give back to Milwaukee, " new ambassador Kalin Welch said.

As one of MPD's 17 ambassadors, Welch is on his way to making his dream of becoming police chief a reality.

The Ambassador Program aims to provide meaningful work experience to young adults who are interested in pursuing careers or continuing their education in public safety or criminal justice.

The 18-25 year olds recruited for the program will work 20 hours per week with a mentor in a location that meets their interests for one year. Ambassadors will engage with Police Aids and will receive four hours of education each week at the Milwaukee Police Academy

"We are the only social service available 24 hours a day 7 days a week," said Chief Flynn.

The ambassadors also act as a voice for their neighborhoods -- helping the Milwaukee Police Department understand what is working, and what isn't.

"We need to have more people in our community understand the work of the police department, but also help the people in the police department understand our community," Mayor Tom Barrett said.

The new ambassadors are going to spend a lot of time at the Police Academy building in training. They`re also going to be at the 911 Center, the Community Outreach Building, at the seven district offices and at a lot of other locations learning the ins and outs of what it`s like to work in law enforcement.

The Milwaukee Police Department's ambassador program comes out of Milwaukee's Transitional Jobs Program, which helps people get jobs in city departments. Mayor Barrett announced it would expand in September, adding 130 more positions.