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Lancaster swears in first class of police officers as city expands surveillance and technology tools
Summary
Lancaster held a swearing-in ceremony for six new police officers and highlighted expanded surveillance, drone and AI tools the city plans to deploy. City leaders praised recruitment and police modernization; officers were pinned by family and sworn in during the council meeting.
Lancaster City officials swore in six new police officers during the council meeting and highlighted a broader push to modernize policing with cameras, drones and analytics.
Mayor Parris opened remarks by praising recent recruitment and department changes and describing expanded technology in use. "If you're on Lancaster Boulevard, you should know there's 50 cameras watching you. 50. There's hundreds of cameras throughout the city now. We are bringing AI technology to those cameras… the ability to suppress crime is going to be redefined by what Rod's doing in Lancaster," the mayor said, attributing the technology expansion to the police leadership.
City leaders then administered oaths and recognized the six officers: Nelson Escano, Adam Ohlinger, Casey Perkinson, Jeremy Talbot, Todd White and Brian Wilson. A city presenter outlined the officers' backgrounds, citing years of service, specialties such as K-9, SWAT, traffic collision reconstruction, and prior service with Los Angeles-area agencies and the U.S. military. Family members pinned the officers during the ceremony.
An official who identified themself as the department chief addressed the council and the new officers, saying, "These gentlemen before you, they deserve to wear this badge, and they are going to set a standard here," and urging them to take the oath and responsibilities seriously.
City staff later credited human-resources recruitment efforts for helping bring the new officers on board and noted that the department's recruitment outcomes have recently improved. Council and staff described the ceremony as part of a broader year of accomplishments that included park improvements and other capital projects.
No formal policy vote was required to swear in the officers at the meeting; the event was recorded as a ceremonial recognition and personnel action.
