The Evansville Police Department (EPD) welcomed new officers at a ceremony Monday afternoon. After about a year-long application process, Ben Hallmark, Nathan Cooper, Ryan Eagleson, Cody Smith, Nick Hackworth, Jason Martin, Taylor Garcia-Grisham, Chris Beitler, Jesse Montank, Mark Galey, Quinton Keil and Dylan Barnes took an oath to become EPD’s newest officers.
Chief of Police Billy Bolin said the hiring process is rigorous, so appointments in the department call for a celebration.
“We got to be a little bit more thorough than a lot of employers so after going through this for a year, we try to make a big deal for these guys to see this is a career, it’s not just a job," he said. "The video we show at the end shows the history of the department and then we put a picture in of the new officers to try to show them how they’re now a part of our history.”
The EPD also awarded several merit awards to officers and civilians for exceptional service to the police department. Josh Burns, Josh Gibson, and Todd Webber received civilian awards. Officers Paul Jacobs received a bronze merit award, and Officer Jasen Clegg received two.