These two officers are set to join the force

Though it will still be a few months until they’re full-time police officers, two future Juneau Police Department officers finished one very challenging step last week.

Jonah Hennings-Booth and Duain White graduated from the Public Training Academy in Sitka in a ceremony this past Friday. They still have to do JPD’s field training program, which takes at least 14 weeks.

The two were sworn in during a ceremony at JPD in February, and both spoke to the Empire at that time. They are both Alaska Native, as Hennings-Booth is Inupiaq while White is Tlingit.

White, who was 32 in February, said at the time that having more Alaska Native representation in the department is good for the community.

“I think it’s very important for people to see us in uniform, someone people can relate to and feel more comfortable seeing someone from the same culture,” White said. “I can also be a positive role model for other Native kids and see that lifestyle is possible as long as you focus and push yourself and be a positive person.”

Hennings-Booth, who was 23 in February, has worked for the Alaska Wildlife Troopers as a public safety technician. Born in Anchorage and raised in Eagle River and Nome, Hennings-Booth said it was important to him to stay in Alaska. He said in February that he’s drawn to law enforcement because of the unpredictable nature of the job.

“When I was a public safety technician with the wildlife troopers, I never knew what my day was going to entail,” he said. “I didn’t know if I was going to be doing an investigation on a bear that was poached, if I was going to be doing commercial fishing patrolling or if anyone was not inside the district and not abiding by the laws and regulations set by the state. It’s completely different on a day-to-day basis.”