The City of Lima will have a few more police officers on the streets and more officers could be hired in the coming months.
Lima Police Chief Kevin Martin introducing the patrolman at the mayor's weekly briefing this morning. The new hires are Samuel Kerber, Heather Buell, and Bryce Bedwell. With these hires, there are now 72 officers protecting the city and its residents. The department is authorized for up to 79 officers and will continue the process of hiring to reach that number.
Lima Police Chief Kevin Martin says, "We have received another eligibility list from the civil service board and we’re in the process of working on those backgrounds and getting that process completed. My hope is by year's end we can have all of our vacant position filled."
"Probably one of the best experiences I've had, it's, you know, going through it, it's definitely not easy, it's not handed to you, you have to work hard but the reward is so great," commented Heather Buell, Lima police patrol officer. "And my journey is just beginning so I can only imagine what it's going to be once I can get out there on the road and just be with people."
Each of the new officers say they wanted to make a difference in their community and encourage others to think about making law enforcement a career choice.
