New Police Inducted

On Friday, July 31st; three new officers were inducted as probationary patrol officers for the city of Valparaiso. The three new officers are Brian Babczak, Keith Perez, and Andrew McIntyre. Their friends and family gathered on the sunny afternoon in City Hall to bear witness to the ceremony and to congratulate their loved ones for working hard and achieving so much.

Police Chief Mike Bricker spoke about how the new officers had been handpicked from a wide choice and that it had been a very competitive process.  He spoke of the importance of their job as well as the department's core beliefs which he stated "We believe having a professional and proactive police department can keep our community safe." He then introduced the new officers and Mayor Costas spoke a few words.

Mayor Costas also thanked them for the dedication the three new officers had made for joining the Valparaiso Police Department.  He spoke of the importance of their position as well as the responsibilities saying "humility means power under restraint." He reminded them  that they were to enforce the law, but to remember humility while wielding their power.  He quoted C.S. Lewis saying "We have a greater need to be reminded than instructed." He also assured the officers that they were the creme of the crop with the best training, colleagues, and equipment. Costas closed his speech thanking the families of the officers, telling the officers that they were here because of the commitments their parents had made to do what was right, some of the choices being from before the officers were even born.

The ceremoney concluded with the officers being sworn in and the families being able to take photos of their loved ones.Congratulations and thank you  Brian Babczak, Keith Perez and Andrew McIntyre for joining the Valparaiso Police Department to keep our city safe. To see some highlights from the ceremoney, you can check out the video here. For photos of the event, check them out here.