Four new West Point Police Department officers were sworn in Monday during a city council meeting. Officers Gary Johnson, Chris Samra, Jorge Olmonova and Quallen Perrigan were sworn in and officially became a part of the WPPD.

This is obviously good news for the City of West Point. It’s no secret that West Point has dealt with a shortage of officers in recent months, leading the Troup County Board of Commissioners to approve an intergovernmental agreement in May to allow two Troup County Sheriff’s Office officers a day to fill scheduling holes. 

The agreement essentially works like any extra job an officer picks up, such as extra work a movie theater or local store, but it wasn’t meant to last forever.

These new hires are a large step in the right direction and will help lower the need for extra assistance, although it’s likely still needed for now. 

The new officers also all enter West Point with policing experience. Johnson worked for the LaGrange Police Department, Nova was with the TCSO, Perrigan worked for the Tolbert County Sheriff’s Department and Samra worked with the Columbus Police Department. 

According to West Point Police Chief Donald Britt, this is just the start of a wave of hiring for the department. He said three more officers are going through the academy, and the department is still looking to hire an additional six or seven officers in the future.

We wish these officers the best of luck as they start their new job, and hope there are many more officers sworn in in the months to come.