7 new officers sworn into Santa Barbara Police Department

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Santa Barbara has seven new police officers set to begin patrolling the streets.

Police chief Lori Luhnow welcomed the new members of her squad.

The latest graduation class is made up of two men and five women.

The event was a bit different than normal. It was live-streamed, and officers stood six feet apart from each other due to social distancing.

"This is a unique situation for us here at the Santa Barbara Police Department," Luhnow said. "I think it's clear, we're considered critical infrastructure. So we need to get these officers in the streets and sworn in for our community."

Luhnow stressed the importance of having hope during this global pandemic and commended the new officers for wanting to have an impact in the community.