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Princeton swears in returning councilmember and new police officer
Summary
At a Princeton City Council meeting, Michael McCall was sworn in for another council term and Taylor Wetzel was sworn in as a Princeton police officer; Wetzel’s hiring timeline, training milestones and replacement plan for a retiring officer were outlined.
Michael McCall was sworn in for another term on the Princeton City Council, and the council also administered the oath of office to Taylor Wetzel as a police officer for the Princeton Police Department.
The council convened and Mayor Mabry introduced the swearing-in of returning council member Michael McCall and new council member Donald Slusky. City Clerk Janet Henning then administered oaths to council members. Later in the meeting, city staff introduced Taylor Wetzel as a newly hired police officer and Henning administered the oath of office to Wetzel.
Wetzel’s hiring and training timeline was given in detail at the meeting: she was hired Dec. 20, 2024; entered the police academy at Sauk Valley Community College on Jan. 6, 2025, completing 16 weeks of training; and graduated from the academy April 24, 2025. Wetzel began field training on April 26, 2025, and officials said that field training will likely continue into August. The council heard that Wetzel is a 2022 graduate of Princeton High School and a 2024 graduate of Illinois Valley Community College, where she played softball and volleyball. Wetzel was quoted on her application as saying, “I wanted to be a cop since I graduated high school, and I love my hometown.”
Officials told the council that Wetzel will replace Officer Eric Sorensen, who is retiring June 3, 2025, and that the department will remain at full staff after Sorensen’s retirement.
The oaths invoked the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of Illinois and the ordinances of the City of Princeton as the legal and civic authorities under which the offices are held. The swearing ceremonies were ceremonial actions recorded during the meeting; no separate motion or council vote was required for the oath administration recorded in the transcript.
Council and police leaders marked the events as routine civic business and welcomed Wetzel and the newly sworn council members. The meeting then continued with other agenda items, including presentations and public comment.
