Longboat Key Police Department fills three vacancies

On the morning of Sept. 9, Chief of Police George Turner swore in the three newest officers to Longboat Key Police Department’s fleet. 

The new officers filled three positions that opened this summer after three of Longboat’s officers transferred to other departments. With the three latest additions, the fleet is back to 19 full-time employees. 

Officer Keith Ericsson comes to the Longboat Key Police Department from the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department, from which he retired as a sergeant. 

Officer Andrew Vandyke, a former U.S. Marine, joined the Longboat Key Police Department from the neighboring Sarasota Police Department. 

The other new officer, Officer Dallas Troyer, was previously at the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office in Colorado. Before his time in Pueblo County, Troyer served in the United States Army. 

For the application period, Turner said the department had a substantial pool of qualified applicants. Over the past year and a half, the town and Longboat Key Police Department has successfully ratified new contracts with the Southwest Florida Police Benevolent Association, introduced hybrid and take-home vehicles and received its first accreditation. Turner said in the past that these investments helped recruitment and retention.  

The hiring process for new officers at the Longboat Key Police Department includes preliminary application reviews, substantial background checks, an oral interview with internal staff and onboarding through both the town’s human resources department and the police department. 

Now, the three new hires are out on patrols with field training officers. Turner expects the three new officers to be on their own in the next month.