CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Four new officers were added to the Charleston Police Department Wednesday ahead of the new year.
East Bank native Nicholas Stone, 24, of Ona said he’s looking forward to serving the community he grew up in.
“It’s a career path that I’ve been wanting to undertake for a very long time and I’m very eager to get started,” he said.
Stone, Joseph Means, 24, of Charleston, James Aldridge, 33, of Charleston and Corey Morgan, 24, of Dunbar were all sworn in Wednesday at City Hall by Mayor Danny Jones and Police Chief Brent Webster.
Webster said he believes the men are ready to take on the challenging, yet rewarding career.
“Although they’re young and they’re not ready to be police officers yet, they have the tools to be a good police officer,” he said.
The new officers will begin training for 16 weeks at the West Virginia State Police Academy on Jan. 4. Once they complete their training, they will enter the Charleston Police Department Field Training Program.
“They go to the Academy, listen, learn and then of course when they get out of the Academy, come back and learn all the things we do here in the city,” Webster said.
Stone told MetroNews, as a new officer, he wants to show residents they’re good people.
“If anything, I want to show people that we’re here to serve the community and I want to bring a more positive image to law enforcement as a whole,” he said.
The four additions now leaves the department with two vacancies heading into 2016, Webster said.