ST. GEORGE — Three police officers were officially sworn in during a ceremony at Dixie State University amid friends and family Thursday afternoon.
In a small office on the fifth floor of the Holland Centennial Commons building, a group gathered as three officers took the “Law Enforcement Oath of Honor” in a ceremony officiated by 5th District Judge John Walton.
“We had three officers sworn in to represent our agency and serve the community here at Dixie State,” Ron Isaacson, interim director of the Dixie State Department of Public Safety, said.
During the ceremony, each officer swore to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States and of Utah against all enemies, foreign or domestic and to perform their duties with fidelity.
Juan Fulgencio-Milan, the newest addition to the department, said he graduated from the Peace Officer Standards and Training academy April 14, then began his career with Dixie State Department of Public Safety two days later, he said.
Fulgencio-Milan also said that being a student and a police officer simultaneously allows him to “see both sides” of the job, both from the perspective of a student, as well as an officer, he said.
“I am looking forward to growing personally, as well as finding ways to better strengthen relations between Dixie State police and those we govern,” he added.
Officer Eldon Gibb, a 7-year veteran of the department, said that for him, the ceremony “reiterated the Constitution, and the fact that we truly are public servants and are here to serve the community.”
Gibb also said he is excited about the growth that Dixie State is experiencing at this time, and his goal is to grow with the campus police department as the university grows.
“It’s a great time to work here,” Gibb said.
Veteran officer Daniel “Ola” Kaonohi, who has been with the department for more than four years, explained that all officers are sworn in before leaving the police academy. He went on to say that from his perspective, the ceremony Wednesday served to formally swear in the officers and to bring the department forward.
“I think we’re trying to do more things as a police department as we grow and one of those things is being sworn in as a police officer,” Kaonohi said.
The Dixie State police department has five full-time officers who are all graduates of the state of Utah Police Academy; are trained and certified EMTs, and have earned a college degree in criminal justice, according to information from Dixie State’s site.
In addition to the police academy training, each officer has also undergone additional training in cultural diversity, crisis intervention and community policing.
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