ABOVE VIDEO:Chief Mark Renkens administered the Oath of Office to five new police officers joining the ranks of the department.
BREVARD COUNTY • PALM BAY, FLORIDA – Chief Mark Renkens administered the Oath of Office to five new police officers joining the ranks of the department.
The officers were surrounded by friends, family and police command staff and training officers during the short ceremony earlier this week.
It is the first group of new recruits for 2015. The newly sworn in officers are mostly from Palm Bay, one is a former Palm Bay Police Explorer.
One new officer is a U.S. Marine from New Jersey and another came to the agency from Jacksonville.
They will spend the next several weeks with a field training officer before being released to patrol duties on their own.
Mark Renkens
“These new officers are the future of this agency,” said Chief Mark Renkens.
“We are very glad to have them and wish them success in their future here.”
The hiring and recruiting process is continuing as the agency must fill ongoing vacancies left by retirements or other attrition. In 2014 the department hired 29 new officers.
Another three officers will be sworn in in the coming weeks and several more hiring dates are planned throughout the year.
Chief Mark Renkens, left, swears in a new officer during a swear in ceremony held on Monday. (Image for SpaceCoastDaily.com)
The Palm Bay Police Department is the second-largest municipal law enforcement agency in Brevard County with 160 sworn positions budgeted for 2015.
The following officers accepted the oath of office on Monday:
• Mahassine Manso, Morocco • Samantha Bassali, former Palm Bay Police Explorer Post 597 • Scott Eakins, Titusville • Michael Loffey, New Jersey, U.S. Marine Corps veteran. • Kyle Schuck, Jacksonville, FL.
The officers were surrounded by friends, family and police command staff and training officers during the short ceremony earlier this week.
