Cocoa Police Chief Evander Collier Swears in New Officers Jonathan Medina, Clyde Hilliard III

By Space Coast Daily // April 19, 2022

public service spotlight

Cocoa Police Chief Evander Collier administered the oath of office to two new police officers Monday morning. (CPD image)

BREVARD COUNTY • COCOA, FLORIDA – Cocoa Police Chief Evander Collier administered the oath of office to two new police officers Monday morning.

The officers were sworn in during a special ceremony in the presence of family and friends, members of the police department staff, members of the Cocoa City Council, and city leadership.

■ Officer Jonathan Medina, 29, is originally from Las Vegas, Nevada. He and his family moved to Cocoa Beach in 2021 to pursue a better quality of life.

Medina is married with three sons. He graduated from the Criminal Justice Academy at Eastern Florida State College where he is continuing to pursue his associate degree in criminal justice.

■ Officer Clyde Hilliard III, 23, is originally from Spring Valley, New York. He is a 4th generation law enforcement officer.

In 2014, he moved to Florida with his family when his father retired after serving as a corrections officer for 26 years with the Department of Corrections in Westchester County, New York.

He was inspired to become a police officer because of his family history of law enforcement officers and the wisdom and advice of a neighbor, along with the desire to engage with the community and be a positive representative for law enforcement.

Hilliard graduated from the Criminal Justice Academy at Eastern Florida State College.

He is engaged to be married and has a 3-year-old black lab mix. “By accepting this oath of office today, you are committing to being part of the cultural change in this agency and in the law enforcement profession as a whole,” said Chief Evander Collier IV.

“I believe you will work with honesty, integrity, accountability, and professionalism that will define each of you as an exemplary police officer. Congratulations.

The new officers will spend the next few months in training, learning the department’s policies and procedures. They will then be placed with a field training officer to learn all operational procedures of the job.

Upon successful completion of the training, they will be assigned to a squad and deployed for solo patrol duties.