MANSFIELD, Ohio — The Mansfield Police Department welcomed four new probationary officers to the force Wednesday during an induction ceremony in the city’s council chambers.
The four local men; Zachery Miller, of Mansfield; Matthew J.P. Brewster, of Shelby; Jeremy Howard, of New London; and Adam Greter, of Lexington, were sworn in as Probationary Police Officers. They will undergo training for a year before becoming deputies.
“All of these four gentlemen have to go to the Ohio State Highway Patrol Academy,” Assistant Chief of Police Keith Porch said. “They are not certified police officers. They’ll have to complete their basic training, once they’re done with that then they come back and have a 12 week probationary FTO, field training program.”
Chief of Police Ken Coontz said the four police officers in training are in good hands.
“Trust me, you’ll see a different edge in them, a professional edge. We will polish them,” Coontz said as he addressed the crowd in the city council chamber.
The four hires brought with them family members and friends to witness the ceremony.
Because of recent budget cuts, the police department has operated with 81 certified police officers. According to Porch, the department is authorized for 102, but only budgeted for 89 through the PRIDE tax, renewed in May 2014. The four-year, 0.5 percent tax levy brings in around $7 million per year.
The hire brings the total to 85 potential officers — as long as the four make it through training.
“It’s hit and miss,” Coontz said of the success rate in graduating the officers in training. “Our philosophy is that we’ll do everything we can do to retain that person in terms of training.
“We try to expunge all of our resources in order to get them where they need to be.”
Porch said the police department will have six to eight more openings by the end of the year because of attrition and retirement.
All of the police officers in training were excited to get started.
“I’m from this area and I grew up here so I’m excited for the opportunity the city of Mansfield has for me,” Brewster said.
Brewster served at Mansfield Correctional Institution as a correctional officer, and before that, as a guard at Richland County Juvenile Court.
Miller, who grew up in Mansfield just outside of Lexington served as a firefighter for Washington Township for 6 1/2 years. His most recent job was a 911 dispatcher for Richland County, a position he held for one year.
Howard comes from a family of blue. His father, Dane Howard, serves as Huron County Sheriff. He worked in the Richland County Sheriff’s jail for 3 1/2 years before being hired on the Mansfield police department.
Greter said he has never been in law enforcement but realized in college it was the career path he wanted to take. The Lexington High School grad’s goal is to work his way into METRICH, Mansfield’s drug enforcement unit.
