The Kent State Police Department added two new officers to their ranks — Rachel Morrow and John Cevasco. The officers have very similar backgrounds.

Both are Kent State graduates from Tallmadge, and both hope that joining the department will give them an opportunity to help the community.

“I’ve always wanted to give back to my community and do something meaningful with my life and police work was where I felt that I could do that,” Officer Morrow said.

Officer Cevasco majored in criminology and justice studies. Morrow majored in exercise science. Before joining KSUPD, Morrow worked as a bartender and at the Put-In Bay Police Department as an officer. Cevasco previously worked at a family business in Tallmadge and at the Mahoning Valley Race Course and Casino in Youngstown.

Cevasco and Morrow decided to join up with KSUPD because of its good standing and accreditation and because they were both familiar with the department.

“This was already kind of a second home for me” Morrow said.

Both officers are also graduates of KSUPD’s Police Experience Academy, a citizen’s police training experience. This semester’s Police Experience Academy begins Feb. 15.

“With its accreditation, I know the department’s great. You can’t beat that and if you want to work with the best, this is where you’re going to be” Cevasco said.

As a part of their training, new hires at KSUPD go through a year long FTO (Field Training Officer) program, during which they are always with an officer who teaches them everything they need to know in order to be a successful police officer. After being sworn in, officers then undergo a five year program. Each year the officer will specialize in different areas of training.

When their initial training was finished, the officers were sworn in by Dean Tondiglia, the KSUPD chief of police. Morrow was sworn in Jan. 25 and Cevasco was sworn in Feb. 6.

Currently, Morrow and Cevasco both work eight-hour day shifts. As they progress through the program, they will switch and get acclimated to different shifts and start working with different officers.

“For me, [police work] has been an interest since I was really young,” Cevasco said. “So it seemed to be a right fit.”

 David Williams is the safety reporter. Contact him at [email protected].