The Suffolk Police Department installed five new officers at a Tuesday morning badge-pinning ceremony at The First Lady.

The new officers — two women and three men — took the oath of office, were pinned by family members and heard words of wisdom and thanks from Mayor Linda T. Johnson, City Manager Selena Cuffee-Glenn and Police Chief Thomas Bennett.

“I couldn’t be more proud of each of you,” Johnson said. “You’re part of a very, very elite group.”

Johnson said public safety “makes everything else possible” and is the city’s most essential service.

“Yet the better we deliver it, the less our citizens think about it,” she said.

Cuffee-Glenn thanked the new officers for choosing to contribute.

The five new officers are Chiquivia Altanese Clark, Grayson William Craun, Christopher Grey Ellis, Lucyna Hickok and Sean Michael Rowan.

Bennett explained to those in attendance just how demanding the police academy, from which the officers graduated Tuesday afternoon, is for its students. They must undergo rigorous physical training and mental tests, as well as academic work. On every test, they must get a 100 and have only three chances to do so.

All the work “will serve you well,” Bennett said.

The officers now move into their post-academy phase, in which they learn how law enforcement is done specifically in Suffolk. They then have a month each with three different field training officers.

“You will be tested by your field training officers, and you will be tested by the public,” Bennett said.

He gave his traditional advice to the new officers, which included never sacrificing their honesty and integrity, learning from their mistakes and finding a mentor — or several — within the department.