SPD welcomes class of 10 new patrol officers

For fiscal year 2023 the Sarasota Police Department requested, and was granted, funding to expand its sworn officer force by 10. On Thursday, the results of that investment in community safety were on full display as 10 new patrol officers were sworn in during a ceremony at Robert L. Taylor Community Complex.

The formal ceremony took on an informal tone as Police Chief Rex Troche invited families and other attendees to stand, cheer, take photos and otherwise celebrate the official pinning of the new recruits.

“We love applauding and clapping, so don't feel like you have to wait to the end when everyone's name is mentioned or when a person comes up here,” Troche said. “Just give it up and show some love.”

Before and after comments delivered by elected city officials and City Manager Marlon Brown, each of the new officers were officially sworn in and individually their badges pinned to their chests by a designated family member, each followed by family photos. 

“In the years that I've been city manager and deputy city manager we've never given SPD that amount of resources in just one year,” Brown told the officers and their families. “We just don't hire warm bodies to fill vacancies. We hire individuals who understand what the role of a police officer is with the power and influence that you're going to have and the respect that you're going to have. But that goes both ways. The community has also got to respect you.

 “SPD has a very intuitive culture of positive service to this community, and you'll be joining that.”

The new officers will begin their field training program with training officers, which will continue for several months before being sent to patrol on their own. 

The 10 new sworn positions brings the total at SPD to 190. Serving a full-time population of approximately 56,000, that’s a ratio of 3.4 officers per 1,000 citizens. With a seasonal population of some 90,000 total, that ratio is reduced to 2.1 officers per 1,000. This compares to a 2021 Florida average ratio of 2.3 police officers per 1,000 residents.

Photo courtesy of Sarasota Police Department

In his closing remarks directed at the new recruits, Troche emphasized the word “kind.”

“It’s a four-letter word, it's short. It's easy to remember and it's just very simple to remember when you're going to these calls for service,” he said. “There’s a time and a place for us to be in our paranoid state of officer safety, and then there's a time for us to deescalate and be kind to the people we serve. That simple word can really impact your career. Kind works both ways, and we have developed really great partnerships throughout this city where our community is very kind to us. They do great things for us and we're very fortunate. 

“So please remember, when you go in that hot call for service, once the emotions are gone, just reach into your toolbox for 'kind,' and be kind to our people.”

Redirecting his comments to the new officers’ families, he added, “They're going to have some bad days, so please check on them to make sure they're OK. Please take care of them. And in our house, we're going to take care of them and make sure that they're OK. If we see anything, we're going to make sure that we take action on that to make sure that they're successful, not only in this profession, but successful in life.”