LIMA — The Lima Police Department is back to full strength after swearing-in ceremonies Monday morning that saw five recruits receive their first jobs in law enforcement.
Judge Tammie Hursh of Lima Municipal Court issued the oath of office, then Chief Kevin Martin presented official Lima Police Department badges to Corey Blodgett, Cody Rollins, Christopher Lemke, Logan Patton and Brianna Leary as their friends and family looked on. Four of the five newest city police officers are Allen County natives, while the fifth hails from Michigan but has strong local ties.
The quintet of officers was reminded by their chief of the oath they took to “faithfully, honestly and impartially discharge the duties of police officers” on behalf of the city, county and state.
Martin recalled an early lesson he received when he was a rookie police officer.
“I quickly learned that my needs and comforts had to take a back seat to the needs of the community and citizens we are sworn to protect,” the chief said. “You have accepted that same responsibility today. Every time you put on this badge on you must think about the service it represents.”
The five new hires brings the Lima Police Department to full strength with a contingent of 84 full-time officers. Martin said the department is in the process of assembling a grant that, if approved, would provide funding for three additional police officers to be hired next year.
Martin acknowledged and bemoaned that none of the five new officers sworn in Monday represented a minority hire. He said two minority applicants had passed the written portion of the exam to become a patrol officer but failed to pass the physical portion of the test.
“We’re trying to recruit more minorities” to take the entrance exams, the chief said.
The officers sworn in during Monday’s ceremony included:
•Logan Patton, a 2015 graduate of Bath High School. Patton said his brother is an officer with the department and that “I always wanted to serve” as a police officer.
•Corey Blodgett, a 2004 graduate of Lima Senior High School. Blodgett said he decided to join the police force “to help out the community.
•Brianna Leary, a 2014 graduate of Bath High School. She opted to pursue a career in law enforcement “because of my role models — my parents, Bev and Bryan, and my aunt, Paula Strickler — are all officers with the Lima Police Department.
•Christopher Lemke, a native of Macomb, Michigan, whose wife is a Lima native. Lemke spent nine years as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps and opted to join the local police department “to continue my service to the country.”
•Cody Rollins, a 2014 graduate of Shawnee High School, said becoming a police officer fulfilled a lifelong dream. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do since I was a kid.”
.neFileBlock {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
padding-bottom: 5px;
padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
font-size: 85%;
}
