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Stafford swears in three officers and two telecommunicators; council moves forward on public-works appointment
Summary
The Stafford Police Department introduced three new sworn officers and two telecommunications officers and held a swearing-in ceremony. Council also moved to approve Christopher Riggs as public works director (appointment to be finalized as announced).
At the July 16 Stafford City Council meeting, the city held a swearing-in and pinning ceremony for new Stafford Police Department personnel and announced a public-works appointment.
Chief (unnamed) introduced three new sworn officers and two telecommunications officers. The officers named in the ceremony included Officer Arneson, Officer Burke and Officer Florian. Telecommunications officers sworn in included Glenn Gray and Samuel Torres. Each took the oath of office publicly and received accreditation pins; family members participated in pinning where noted.
Chief (unnamed) described backgrounds for each hire: Officer Arneson brings nearly five years of law-enforcement experience and an associate degree in criminal justice; Officer Burke graduated from Wharton County Junior College Police Academy on May 30, 2025, and is a nationally registered paramedic; Officer Florian brings more than 13 years of law-enforcement experience and instructor certifications. Telecommunications officer Glenn Gray holds a degree from Virginia Tech and experience as a band director and Samuel Torres has prior experience with the Harris County Sheriff's Office and holds associate and bachelor's degrees from ITT Technical Institute.
During the meeting council took a motion related to staffing in the Public Works department. A council member moved to approve Christopher Riggs as public works director; the motion was seconded and carried on the record at the meeting. Riggs spoke briefly after the council action and thanked the council, noting previous service with the city and that he looked forward to leading the department.
Council members and the chief emphasized the department's accreditation and training programs and presented officers and family members with a copy of a book the department provides to families, Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement, intended to help families understand the stresses of policing.
No disciplinary or operational policy changes were announced at the ceremony.
