The Plymouth Police Department is up to full staff with twenty-five officers. During Monday’s Board of Public Works and Safety meeting, Police Chief Dave Bacon told members Jesse Witkowski was sworn in as the twenty-fifth officer that morning.
Jesse is 33 years old and lives in St. Joseph County. He is married with two children. Witkowski graduated from Elkhart Central High School and served 11 years in the U.S. Air Force with the security police and as a weapons instructor.
Witkowski has no prior law enforcement experience and will have to attend training.
Chief Bacon gave an update on personnel in training. He said Officer Lovely and Officer Mark are both at the Law Enforcement Academy for training. They have been there since late August and will graduate in mid-December and then back to working the road for the Plymouth Police Department. Officer Balsley is in the Field Training Program currently and Officer Witkowski will begin the Law Enforcement Academy next year.
The hiring of the twenty-fifth police officer will allow the city and Plymouth Community School Corporation to work together to provide a second School Resource Officer. Currently, Officer Bridget Hite is primarily at the high school, and with the additional officer in the department, they will be able to have another officer who will primarily work at Lincoln Junior High School.
Chief Bacon noted that he will be retiring at the first of the year so that will leave another vacancy.
