Marietta Police Department swears in five new patrolmen
Marietta Mayor Joshua Schlicher, second from left, speaks during a ceremony in which five new city police officers were sworn in Monday morning on the steps of the city building. Also pictured are new officers Kobe Nicholson, left, and Colton Shriver, right, with his wife Mary beside him. (Photo by Sophie Wheeler)
Newly sworn in Marietta Police officers, from second from left Hunter Teagardener, Kobe Nicholson, Colton Shriver, Travis Payne and Johnathan Bentley pose for photo with Chief Katherine Warden, front, and flanked by two other officers. (Photo by Sophie Wheeler)
Marietta Mayor Joshua Schlicher, second from left, speaks during a ceremony in which five new city police officers were sworn in Monday morning on the steps of the city building. Also pictured are new officers Kobe Nicholson, left, and Colton Shriver, right, with his wife Mary beside him. (Photo by Sophie Wheeler)
Newly sworn in Marietta Police officers, from second from left Hunter Teagardener, Kobe Nicholson, Colton Shriver, Travis Payne and Johnathan Bentley pose for photo with Chief Katherine Warden, front, and flanked by two other officers. (Photo by Sophie Wheeler)
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MARIETTA - The Marietta Police Department swore in five new patrolmen Monday morning.
"I can't remember the last time this has happened," said Mayor Joshua Schlicher. "Since maybe the early 1980s."
Hunter Teagardner, Kobe Nicholson, Colton Shriver, Travis Payne and Jonathon Bentley were welcomed to the department in an unprecedented group ceremony.
Police Chief Katherine Warden stated staffing needs prompted the hiring of so many officers at once, with three veteran officers recently retiring.
"We were lucky to have a good group of people that have applied and gone through the whole process," Warden said.
With the vacancies created by the retirees, the new hires are not expected to increase the police department budget, she said.
Next, the officers will undergo four months of training, returning in mid-December for three months of field training.
"(It's) probably going to be a year, (before) they fully settle into the job," Schlicher said.
With the reliability of the current officers and strong leadership in the department, the mayor said he believes in the positive impact these officers will have on the community.
Warden offered similar sentiments about having a new generation and a new culture on the force.
"Some of the older ways have now vacated, and we are looking for this new, fresh kind of vibe that’s coming in," she said. "We're all really excited."
Asked about his goals for the new job, Shriver said he "intends to serve the community as best as I can.
"Being out here, you're put up on a pedestal a little bit, so just kind of be as upstanding (of a) person I can and get the job done as best as I can," he said.
Schlicher closed the ceremony by thanking "everyone for being here, not only the officers of the department, command staff and all the other city employees that are here, but the family that’s going to support these gentlemen in their careers."
Sophie Wheeler can be reached at swheeler@newsandsentinel.com.