New graduating class of Minneapolis police officers include first Somali-American woman

    MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The City of Minneapolis has some brand new police officers, and one of them is making history.

Officer Ikran Mohamed is a member of the city's most recent graduating class of recruits. When she was sworn in on Thursday night, she became the first Somali-American woman to join the force.

"I'm just very excited to be here and represent my people and my community," she said. "That's why I chose Minneapolis, because of the diverse communities and the officers that also represent MPD, and I am very happy and privileged to be an MPD officer."

Mohamed came to the United States from Kenya when she was 10 years old. She grew up in Faribault and previously worked as a corrections officer.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says the city is seeing more recruits than it has in the last four years. In June, after years of struggling with recruitment, the city council approved new contracts for the city's police officers, who will now see some of the highest salaries across Minnesota within a matter of years.