After officially swearing in, Gainesville Police’s newest officers learned the “three Cs”: the constitution, consistency and compassion.
“We treat people as people,” GPD Chief Tony Jones told the new officers. “You’re going to meet people who will not be so nice, but they are human beings.”
GPD held an Oath of Office ceremony to swear in 14 new officers in their headquarters’ Hall of Heroes on Wednesday at 6 p.m. About 120 people, including family members, close friends, city officials and fellow police, watched as the new officers swore their oath of ethics and listened to words from Jones and GPD Captain Anthony Ferrara.
The new officers one by one called upon their loved ones to join them in front of the podium to pin their badges on their uniforms.
“These officers themselves actually have to give (up) so much of their time with their loved ones,” GPD Lt. Jamie Kurnick said, “because they work all hours of the day and all hours of the night.”
With weeks of background checks and testing, six months of academy training, state tests and five weeks of GPD’s “mini-academy” training behind them, the new officers will now begin four months of intensive on-the-road training before they can patrol by themselves, GPD Lt. Joe Raulerson said.
The entire hiring process takes about 16 months, sometimes longer depending on when the officers were first recruited, Raulerson said.
“It’s really a long process,” he said. “That’s just the way it works.”
For Denzel Kankam, it’s all worth it. The newly sworn-in officer said he joined the force to be a part of the solution.
“With all the issues going around, people like to just sit around and talk,” he said. “But I felt like why not join the force and try to make a difference instead of just having a discourse, which gets us nowhere.”
Kankam, a 24-year-old UF alumnus, said his goal is to work with youth and serve in GPD’s gang unit.
“Whereas an adult, sometimes they feel like ‘It’s over for me, this is the path I want to do — criminal activity, whatever,’” he said, “but as a youth, you can really change their path.”
To close out the ceremony, Ferrara turned toward the 14 new officers and offered his wisdom.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that we do not rest on our laurels,” Ferrara said. “We’re always looking for what’s best out there, to do more. So, do more.”
Contact David Hoffman at dhoffman@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter at @hoffdavid123
