So in, uh, his book Chaos or Community: Where Do We Go from Here, Dr. King said, "One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people failed to remain awake through great periods of social change." And as we welcome these new officers on board, I would argue that we are in a period of great social change in the city of Portland. You’ll probably say that’s even true for the region, for the state, for our country, maybe even for our world. But my primary motivation in returning to this role in the fall of ’23 was because I saw the change that was happening, and to see it materialize and to be a part of it has been a great honor. And I am so excited to share that with each of you, as we have been doing already with many of the men and women that are around this room here to demonstrate their support. In the Police Bureau, we have three primary goals: Number one – to transform the dynamic between the police and the people we serve. Number two – to reduce crime and the fear of crime. And number three – to be focused on organizational growth and development. And we’ve stayed true to those goals over the last 19 to 20 months, and we’re seeing some of the fruits of that come to fruition, both in our transforming the dynamic—that applies across the board. That applies to those that we serve internally and those that we serve externally. Portlanders recall the police about 200,000 times a year. So those are 200,000-plus contacts, not including the self-initiated activity we take, or maybe the community meetings, or the normal interaction. We are literally touching hundreds of thousands of Portlanders a year, every contact being paramount. Chief McMillan stressed that this morning when we met with these recruits a little bit earlier. We’re also reducing crime and the fear of crime. The Mayor touched on that briefly just in the last week—some of the amazing work that’s been done. We had a press conference in this room a couple of days ago where, in cooperation with our partners, we seized over 44 pounds of fentanyl, as well as pounds of cocaine, meth, heroin, guns, cash—really making a significant impact. Yeah, that’s worthy of an applause, so thank you. We also have other examples. You may have read an article in the paper about the city of Portland nearly losing almost $7 million to a scam that was immediately assigned to one of our investigators, who took that on and was able to capture that money before it left the United States. That $6.7 million is going to be returned to the city of Portland because of the hard work of a determined investigator and unit in the Portland Police Bureau. And I could go on and on about the civilian roles as well, that provide support in that—in our Records Division, in our Training Division, in our Personnel Division, in our Strategic Services Division. This is a holistic approach. And as we continue to focus on organizational growth and development, you’re a direct representation of that as well—this ability to bring you on board. We are anticipating and striving to add to these ranks. We’ve already hired a few since the first of the year. We’re going to be doing promotions in the coming months, and we see the Bureau continuing to evolve to the appropriate size and representation that Portlanders need, deserve, and expect of us as we take on these many public safety challenges. A couple of thoughts as I close: One—and I mentioned this to you earlier—but I really encourage you, not only in your roles as police officers but in your time off, to really benefit and enjoy this great city that we’re in. Look for opportunities to participate, whether it be in the restaurants, whether it be in our parks, whether it be out for a walk—whatever it might be. Yesterday I had a meeting over at OMSI across the river, and I walked over and walked back. It was so encouraging. The sun was out, the river was beautiful, the promenade was alive, and the opportunities to say hi and interact with folks in that short walk there and back reminded me of why I love this job and why I stood in this room 35 years ago Saturday and took the same oath that you just took today. And I just don’t want you to lose that—that this is a city that loves us, and that we want to be able to continue to serve and be a part of. So look for opportunities when you’re not on the job. When you’re on the job, as I’ve already mentioned, you represent all of us. You have a profound impact on every life you touch. You’re likely going to see people at their worst, and your ability to be calm, to be empathetic, to be curious, to be humble, to be firm, to be confident, to be safe—are all critical in how this community experiences safety and experiences the way that they travel and go about Portland. For those of you that are here, that are families, that are sharing this with us—Kevin already mentioned it—but you are now part of the Police Bureau family. You know, for good or for worse, as we know families can be. We are in this together, and you have my unwavering support and commitment. You heard from the Mayor earlier: our number one priority is for the success of these officers. We’ve invested heavily for them to get here. We are going to continue to challenge them to be the very best they can be—to represent us and to represent the Police Bureau at the highest level. But know that we are with you. We know that there’s some big transitions coming ahead. We heard of children on the way, we know there will be marriages, we know there will be loss. We understand that life is in session, and we stand with you in that. We also know that this is a job with a tremendous amount of demands and sacrifice, and it requires that amongst all of us—to be able to recognize that and find ways to support one another. And I look forward to being able to offer that support to you, and I’m hoping that you will experience that and also communicate with us what those needs might be. We have a tremendous amount of resources and assistance as we continue to focus on our members' wellness, making that a high priority so they can have long, healthy, strong careers in their roles as they represent PPB. I’m just so grateful to be here. I’m going to end with this quote from Dr. King where he said, "One of the great liabilities of history is that we fail to remain awake." And so, he says at the end of that chapter, "But today, our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant, and to face the challenge of change." Most people who know me well know that I really don’t like change. This morning I walked into Starbucks—I got the same drink that I have purchased for 20 years. As I turned around, Commander Jensen was standing there. He said, "I thought I might see you here this morning." I have a tendency to be somewhat predictable—I like to say loyal, my wife says boring. But I really like things to stay as consistent as possible. But that’s not how the world turns, right? And this is certainly true for this profession. Change will be constant. It will be constant. And I just really appreciate Dr. King’s words challenging us to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to be open, to be curious. I mentioned that to you this morning—it’s a value of mine, curiosity. Curiosity about yourself—what’s happening inside of you? Why are you responding the way you are? Why are you feeling, why are you thinking—what is it that’s happening inside of you? And then being curious about others. We tell ourselves a story—something we believe to be true—but it may not be true. It may not be all the information. So continue to be open, to adjust to new ideas. And then remain vigilant. We need you to remain vigilant. The community expects us—somebody to be remaining vigilant, to be on watch. As I came in this morning and spoke with the night shift officers that were coming off of night shift—we need those men and women that are out there remaining vigilant so that we can sleep with confidence and in safety and security in our homes. Once again, just so grateful that you chose us. We chose you, but we also know that you chose us. Thank you very much. Thanks to each of you. Appreciate you being here today. Looking forward to this journey together. And most of all, be safe.