2 New Officers Sworn In To Havre de Grace Police Department

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD — Two new officers were sworn in to serve the Havre de Grace Police Department this week.

Police Officer Sterling Jones and Police Officer Nathan Klein took the oath of office during Tuesday night's Havre de Grace City Council meeting.

Both were hired in December when "they hadn't attended the police academy yet, but we didn't want to lose them," Police Chief Teresa Walter said at the council meeting. "The mayor was nice enough to allow us to go ahead and hire them. So they did a lot of ride alongs, a lot of things around the police department, that type of thing."

Nationally, police departments are competing for new recruits amid staffing shortages as older officers retire and people leave law enforcement.

Recently, Jones and Klein graduated from the Baltimore County Police Department Entrance Level Academy and began orientation.

"You guys have been amazing so far already," Walter said, noting that on Officer Klein's first day, he responded to an unattended death.

"The Havre de Grace Police Department welcomes two new certified law enforcement recruits to their ranks," the city of Havre de Grace said in a statement. "Both Officer Jones and Officer Klein are welcome additions to the Havre de Grace Police Department."