LAS VEGAS ( FOX5 ) — Once a recruit graduates and officially joins the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the training doesn’t stop. The real challenge starts when classroom walls disappear and new officers hit the streets for field training.

After months in the classroom, the streets are where it all starts to count. New Las Vegas Metro police officers graduate from the academy, then report to patrol and learn what the job really looks like outside a controlled environment.

“What they learn in the academy echoes what they face out here in the street. So that is the baseline, that is the foundation,” said Sgt. Michael Mendez.

Inside Metro’s Northeast Area Command

Every day at the station starts with a briefing. Supervisors talk about crime trends and priorities for the shift.

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