BDPD Bolstering Their Ranks

(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam Police Department recently provided a staffing update. Lieutenant Jeremiah Johnson says newly hired officers Joseph Salazar and Megan Ruhland completed the Recruit Academy at Fox Valley Technical College in October.

When he was on Community Comment last month, he said both had recently gone through their 16-week Field Training program and will soon be on solo patrol.

“They’re doing very well…we’re proud of them…they’ll be on second shift with me,” says Johnson.

Salazar also received the Officer Craig Birkholz Leadership award, which is voted on by the academy class. The award is given to a candidate who is a team player, is thoughtful, has a positive attitude, and is caring. It is named after Craig Birkholz, who was a Fond du Lac police officer killed in the line of duty in 2011.

Johnson notes another recent graduate of the Recruit Academy who has also started the field training process.

“Officer Jeni Reinhold, she is just starting her field training process…she just got done with the academy at the end of December…moving right along,” says Johnson.

“We also hired a lateral transfer from our local Juneau Police Department, Officer Russel Ebert. He is an experienced officer who’s worked in Dodge County at Juneau for an extended period of time. So, he’s coming in with that experience.”

Johnson says Officer Ebert has experience talking with Dodge County dispatchers as well as using the county’s records management system and is familiar with the Beaver Dam area. He says the agency hopes to hire a few more officers to round out their staff.

Photo courtesy of the Beaver Dam Police Department Facebook page