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The Kokomo Police Department welcomed seven new officers into its ranks on Feb. 13, perhaps the largest induction class in its history. The recruits were sworn into service during a ceremony at City Hall, where friends, family, and fellow officers were on-hand to celebrate the event.
KPD Major Brian Seldon emceed the ceremony and welcomed the new officers into the department.
“This is rare for us to swear in seven officers at one time,” said Seldon. “I want to thank Mayor (Tyler) Moore for making public safety a priority.”
Moore addressed the recruits and the crowd in attendance, celebrating the addition of officers and underscoring the rarity of such a large induction class.
“This is a good day,” said Moore. “It is fitting that the sun is shining outside because it means that God is smiling down on Kokomo. It was 1995 when we last had a class close to this size; it was six at that point. Today is lucky seven. We are very blessed as a community.
“As mayor, along with the police administration, we keep public safety a priority. To get an opportunity to reap the benefits of that, like I said, it’s a great day. Gentlemen, as you look around at the crowd, I hope it warms your heart to see you have not only the support of your family, but now your KPD family and so many others in the community.”
Moore then administered the oath of office to the seven recruits and signed the certificates of police authority. KPD Officer Jim Nielson read the KPD Code of Ethics to the new officers, and then current and retired KPD officers stepped forward to present recruits with their badges, including Capt. Tony Arnett, Officer Rick Carter (ret.), Capt. Tonda Cockrell (ret.), Officer Lyle Myers, Capt. Tom Mygrant, Capt. Michael Banush, and Sgt. Neil Marcus.
Seldon offered words of advice to the officers as the ceremony came to a close, encouraging the new recruits to recognize the gravity and importance of their decision to serve.
“This profession is very honorable,” said Seldon. “Your nameplate represents everyone in your family. This patch (pointing to the departmental patch on his sleeve) represents everyone who has ever worn it. The badge represents the officers in every city and every state in the country. Keep in mind your integrity and professionalism, and treat others the way you want to be treated. If you keep those things in mind, you will retire from this honorable profession.”
Moore concluded the ceremony with words of gratitude to the new officers, their families, and the current and retired members of the department who were present.
“Thank you so much for the commitment you are making,” said Moore “At a time when society says, ‘What the heck are you thinking? Why would anyone want to get into law enforcement?’ we’re honored that you have chosen to set that aside and look past it to step forward and take this commitment to protect our community. Thank you for your service.”
Following are short biographies of each of the new officers.
Antonio Santini is veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and served as Motor Transport Special Operations Combat Service Specialist. Antonio was originally born and raised in Easton, PA, and finished his high school years at Patriot High School in northern Virginia.
Brett A. Martin, Jr. grew up in Elizabethtown, PA, for most of his youth. He moved to South Bend before his freshman year of high school. In 2015, Brett graduated from Indiana University Bloomington with a major in Criminal Justice and a minor in Psychology.
Gustavo “Gus” Garcia is 23 years old, and was born and raised in Frankfort, IN. He attended Frankfort High School and graduated in 2018. He then attended Indiana University-Kokomo, where he was a cadet officer and worked with the IU Police Department. He graduated from IUK in 2022 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice.
Devante Rivera grew up in Brooklyn, NY, as a child. When he got a little older his mother moved the family to Richmond, VA. After high school, he became a Chef for several years, studying culinary arts in Indianapolis. He later made a career change and joined the Army.
Logan S. Mason is 22 years old and graduated from Argos Community School in 2019. He previously worked at the Miami Correctional Facility for 21 months where he was a part of the Emergency Response Operations.
Jeremiah A. Jackson. was born and raised in Kokomo. He attended Northwestern School Corporation and graduated in 2018. He has been employed with the Howard County Sheriff's Department for nearly two years. During his time with the department, he learned a great deal about our criminal justice system.
Jeremiah K. Wilson was raised in Chicago. He graduated from Morton Senior High School. He furthered his education at Purdue-Fort Wayne.