CHARLOTTE -- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police opened the doors to its training academy Wednesday evening to welcome veterans to an open house.

CMPD was aiming to give them an up close view of what it takes for them to transition from the military to local law enforcement.

"They're already warriors,” said Sgt. Michael Carter who helps run the department’s recruitment efforts. “We're going to teach them how to be crime fighters and guardians."

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are on a mission to hire 125 new officers over two years. It’s a goal that's easier said than done.

"We're getting a lot of applicants but we have to do a better job of finding the quality,” Carter added. “There are a lot of people that want to be the police that are not meant to be the police."

That's why CMPD periodically holds recruiting events targeted at specific populations. "This is just one example of us trying to diversify our ranks," Carter said in referring to Wednesday’s recruiting event.

Anthony Angronsoni is one veteran at the event who was hoping to make the transition. "I was in the National Guard for approximately 14 years," Angronsoni said. He’s now interested in a career in local law enforcement.

"I just want to continue that,” the veteran added. “It's a great town and I just want to protect and serve the people of this town."

Sgt. Carter says it's a no brainer veterans and police officers have a lot in common. "We have a rank structure, we require certain amount of discipline and selfless service to be a police officer."

Those are all facets that can help speed up one's time at the police academy if one makes it that far in the process. "Do you have the capacity to be patient with people," Sgt. Carter said of that question that often disqualifies people from being a CMPD officer.

Angronsoni is confident they are the perfect fit. "Being on the battlefield is stressful,” Angronsoni said. “I know some of the challenges they face here on the street are somewhat similar."

If you're a veteran and you missed Wednesday's open house there's is still time to register for the veteran test on November 10th.​ You can send an email to mcarter2@cmpd.org. For more information, visit, CMPD's website.