Mayor Joe Meyer swears in, from left, Ryan Brown, Nicholas Hancock, and Cody Monson. Watching, from left, is Police Capt. Justin Wietholter, Assistant Chief Patrick Swift, Assistant Chief Brian Valenti, and City Clerk Susan Ellis.
Officers to attend training academy in October
COVINGTON, Ky. – Three more recruits raised their right hands and formally took the oath of office this morning, one of many steps toward becoming patrol officers for the Covington Police Department.
After Mayor Joe Meyer swore in the officers in the Commission chambers at City Hall, Assistant Chief Brian Valenti presented badges to Ryan Brown, Nicholas Hancock, and Cody Monson and called attention to the four words inscribed on the back of the badges – “professionalism,” “integrity,” “justice,” and “compassion.”
“Use these principles to guide your decisions, and you’ll be successful,” Valenti said.
The three men will attend the 20-week Kentucky State Police training academy beginning in October, the earliest class available, Valenti said. They will also complete a 22-week in-house field training, which will put them on the streets of Covington as fully trained officers in late 2022.
The three:
- Ryan Brown has been head of security at The Burl event venue in Lexington for four years and is a former coach of the nation-leading University of Kentucky cheerleading team. He is finishing a degree in communications from UK.
- Nicholas Hancock has been a patrol officer II at University Hospital in Cincinnati since 2011 and has also been a parking enforcement officer for the City of Cincinnati for three years. He previously was a security officer employed by Veteran’s Security, Allied Barton, and Securitas LLC. He has several degrees from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College.
- Cody Monson has been a security guard and dispatcher at TriHealth/Good Samaritan Hospital for almost three years and previously was a security guard supervisor at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. He is a member of the U.S. Army Reserves assigned to the 706th Transportation Co. and earned a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement and justice administration from Western Illinois University.
Meyer told the recruits that they were joining a department with strong leadership and policies that employs a rigorous training regimen and has worked hard to develop a good relationship with the community it serves.
“Being a police officer in this era is a challenge in its own right because of the expectations that society places on you,” the mayor said. “We in society expect too much of our officers – you have to be a marriage counselor, a social worker, and a psychologist, all while keeping the peace … all while dealing with people during probably the worst circumstances of their lives.”
The good news, the mayor said, “is that once you finish your training in Covington, you will be as well-prepared as anywhere” for the job.
He stressed the diversity of Covington and called it both a strength of the city and something to keep in mind, always.
“The health of the relationship between Covington Police and the community is exceptionally important for both the success of the city and for your success as an officer,” Meyer said. “We’re proud of our police department.”
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