Portage police and fire departments are at full staffing after two new officers and a firefighter were sworn in before a crowd of family and residents.
Safety was on everyone’s minds as two police officers had been killed in the line of duty the day before in Orlando, Fla..
“To the families and loved ones of the officers we just swore in, I promise you we will take care of them, train them to be the best officers they can be,” Police Chief Troy Williams said, noting what happened in Florida.
The two new police officers, Mary-Louise Drzich, 25, of Hammond, and Mark Speckhard, 26, of Valparaiso, will begin training at the Northwest Indiana Law Enforcement Academy in a few days, and then will have field training until July, when they will begin working on their own, Williams said.
Speckhard served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, including two tours in Afghanistan, after high school and before attending the University of Evansville. He joined the Portage department after working at the Porter County Juvenile Center. He said he has wanted to be a police officer since high school.
Drzich, who graduated cum laude with a degree in criminal justice from Ball State University, will be the seventh woman on the Portage department, making up what Williams said may be the largest contingent of female officers in any Northwest Indiana department.
“At first, the number of women on the department wasn’t something I was thinking of, however, I think it’s kind of neat to work with other female officers,” she said.
Chesterton resident Michael Coslet, 24, brought the fire department to 72 firefighters, said Portage Fire Chief Tom Fieffer. Coslet left the Chesterton department to join Portage, a bigger city with a high call volume and larger department, he said.
Safety of firefighters also was noted with Fieffer saying the National Fire Protection Agency is recommending that all firefighters wear bullet-proof vests when working.
“I think the murdering of police officers is much more prevalent than what you’ll see with firefighters, but there are cases of being murdered, also,” Fieffer said. “I think that’s a different line of duty, but, our jobs are not that dissimilar.”
Michael Gonzalez is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
