TEXARKANA, Texas - Six new Texarkana Texas Police Department officers and one new firefighter received their badges Tuesday in a ceremony at the police department's training center.
The graduates of the East Texas Police Academy Class 327 are Christopher Flores, Ty Ford, Seth Mahar, Avel Perez, Daniel Searles and Nicholas Smith. Smith is assigned to the fire marshal's office. Kevin Cornelius is a newly appointed officer in the department.He came to TTPD as an already certified officer.
Municipal Judge Sherry Jackson Hawkins swore in the new officers, and their family members pinned the badges on each officer.
"It's not always easy to hire with all of the events going on nationwide," TTPD Chief Kevin Schutte said. "But with all of the support we have from our community, we don't have the problem hiring qualified people like some places do."
Schutte said he has already received compliments about the new officers and he has great faith in them.
"Our philosophy as a department is to treat everyone you find, whereever you find them, with dignity and respect," he said.
Judge Josh Morriss III, chief justice of the Texas 6th District Court of Appeals, was the keynote speaker at the event.
"Collectively, we judges and you police officers share some things in common," he said.
Morriss said one of those things is the need to be impartial.
"The law should treat everyone equal whether someone is seen as overprivileged or underprivileged."
Another thing in common is staying true to principles.
"They will help you find your way and remind you which way is up when things are rough," Morriss said.
Several other officers also received awards at the ceremony.
For the third quarter of 2020, Detective Cory Motley was named officer of the quarter and Officer Matt Cashatt and Detective Thomas Shaddix received certificates of merit.
For the first quarter of 2021, Cashatt was named officer of the quarter and investigator Aaron Lewis and detective Warren Smith received certificates of merit.