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Stafford swears in three officers; chief outlines 11-week academy training and 12-week field program
Summary
The Stafford Police Department ceremonially sworn in three new officers and outlined their academy and department training schedule. The chief and council discussed staffing and recruitment pressures that affect stop volumes and patrol capacity.
The Stafford City Council observed a ceremonial swearing-in and badge pinning for three new Stafford Police Department officers — Bobby Morales, Simeon Jones and Jonathan Kanas — and heard a detailed summary of their training and the department’s field training program.
Stafford Police leadership said all three officers graduated from the Houston Community College law enforcement academy in December 2024 and then completed the department’s officer development program. Stafford Police explained that the department requires additional in-house training after academy graduation; the new officers underwent an 11-week in-house program that covered FEMA incident command coursework (100/200/700/800), patrol rifle certification, building searches, eyewitness identification, de-escalation, basic first aid, Taser certification, report writing, evidence software (FileOnQ) and mental-health training. After scenario testing, officers enter a 12-week field training program overseen by Captain Garcia, Lieutenant Tristan and Sergeant McInnis; that program is followed by a two-week “ghost” phase where trainees work solo while still under evaluation.
Chief Ramirez (Stafford Police) said the department expected some officers to enter regular patrol after completing the combined training phases. Council members, members of the public and the chief also discussed recruitment and retention pressures. The chief told council that the department’s traffic enforcement statistics fell after the loss of a dedicated traffic unit: one metric cited was a drop in moving-violation stops in 2024 compared with an earlier year, a change the chief linked to frozen vacancies and the department’s limited enforcement manpower. The chief also described lateral hiring challenges: some recruits move after one to two years to larger agencies or school districts that offer higher pay or other incentives.
Councilmembers and residents praised the new officers. Several councilmembers and the mayor welcomed the sworn officers and thanked families in attendance.
Outcome: ceremonial swearing-in and badging completed for Officers Bobby Morales, Simeon Jones and Jonathan Kanas; no council vote required. Staff presented training schedule and described staffing and recruitment challenges that affect enforcement capacity.
