New Covington Police Officer Zachary Stayton was sworn in by Assistant Police Chief Justin Wietholter, left, and Mayor Joe Meyer, right.

COVINGTON, Ky. – Covington’s newest police officer is an Army veteran and a Covington native.

Zachary Stayton, a graduate of Holmes High School, was sworn in Monday by Mayor Joe Meyer during a short ceremony in the Covington City Commission chambers. His hiring was approved by the City Commission on October 12.

During the ceremony, Meyer pointed out that police officers are the most visible part of the City’s government.

“Police officers have more interaction with the public than any of the rest of us – probably more than all of us combined, and people’s opinion of the City is often derived from their interactions with police officers,” Meyer said, adding that Covington has an “extraordinary” police department.

“In Covington, we have an extraordinary police department, excellent policies, and excellent leadership,” he said. “We’ve got a real respect and understanding of our community.”

Assistant Police Chief Justin Wietholter presented Stayton with two badges – one of them pink in honor of breast cancer awareness, this month.

“On the back of your badge are our core values – compassion, integrity, professionalism, and justice,” Wietholter said. “As long as you abide by these values, you’ll do fine.”

Stayton, who studied organizational leadership and criminal justice at Northern Kentucky University, will be sent to the police training academy in Richmond in November to undergo training and become certified by the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council.

Stayton enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2014, spurred by a personal sense of “duty and honor.” He served through July 2016.

“When I got out of the Army, I started working in the jail and just fell in love with the criminal justice system,” Stayton said.

For two years Stayton worked as deputy jailor with the Campbell County Detention Center in Newport. He later became a probation and parole officer in Florence.

Now, Stayton is excited to serve the community he grew up in.

“I’m looking forward to serving Covington,” he said.

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