MSC News

MSC News National Headlines Sports Top Headlines CBS US News CBS Technology

Printer Friendly

Email to a Friend

New Hiawatha Officer Begins Work

By Greg Bebermeyer

02/27/2016

City Clerk Vivian Constable swears in new officer Juan Gonzales

(KNZA)--A new full-time officer has joined the Hiawatha Police Department.

Police Chief John Defore says 29-year-old Juan Gonzales, of rural Lancaster, began work Monday.

Defore says it will be Gonzales’ first law enforcement job, and he will be attending the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center in June.

Gonzales is married and has two children. Defore says he's currently looking for a home in the Hiawatha area.

Gonzales fills a vacancy created by the death of longtime officer Mike Thompson in January.

With Gonzales’ hiring, Defore says the department will be at full staff with 8 full-time officers and three part-time officers.

Duke Koerperich, of Hiawatha, joined the department last month as a part-time officer. Koerperich has been a certified officer since July 1999 and is the owner/operate of Town and Country EMS.

Due to the department’s current case load, Defore says he looking for ways to add another full-time officer in 2017 or 2018. He says the department to more than 42-hundred calls last year, up from just under 3,000 in 2014 and 2013.

You will need to be logged in to leave a comment.

Please Login

The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks is prohibited.

Click here to review our Terms of Use.