Covington Mayor Joe Meyer swears in police recruit James Elliott earlier today.
COVINGTON, Ky. - Covington continues to fill vacant positions in its Police Department created when changes to the state pension system sparked an array of retirements.
The department’s newest hire is a former firefighter who served a tour of duty in Afghanistan as a member of the U.S. Army/Kentucky National Guard.
James Elliott was sworn in this afternoon by Mayor Joe Meyer during a short ceremony in the Covington City Commission chambers attended by family and friends. His hiring was approved by the Covington Board of Commissioners on Jan. 28.
He will attend the state training academy in Richmond beginning in April to become certified by the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council, Police Chief Rob Nader said.
“Welcome to the family,” Nader said. He presented Elliott with his badge and then, as is customary, talked about the words printed on the back of it: integrity, professionalism, justice and compassion.
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| Covington’s newest recruit, James Elliott, is flanked by Police Chief Rob Nader and Mayor Joe Meyer after he took the oath of office today. |
“These are the values our department wants to project,” he said. “You’ll probably get tired of hearing all of your supervisors talk about them.”
Elliott had been a member of Crescent Springs/Villa Hills Fire and EMS since June 2011 and a quality control technician with Smyrna Ready Mix since October 2014.
Mayor Meyer praised Covington’s Police Department and talked about all the roles an officer has to take on in the community.
“It’s not just car chases and that kind of stuff,” he said. “You have to be a marriage counselor, a social worker and community leader. But we have a great department.”
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