All rise for the pledge of >> allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the stand with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Um, clerk, please take us through a roll call.
>> Council Tenari Garcia, >> present. >> Councelor Jimenez Rivera, >> present. >> Councelor Cooper, >> Council Taylor >> here. >> Councelor Robinson >> here. >> Council Tesh, >> absent. Council Kelly Garcia >> here. >> Council Santig >> here. >> Council Vega. Absent. Councelor Brown >> here.
>> And councelor Dus >> present. >> Eight members present. You have a quorum. Madam President. >> Thank you, Cler. Can I have one of my colleagues please um open up the meeting. >> I'll accept the call of the meeting. There are no objections.
>> Seeing no objections, I'll now open it up for any of my colleagues to share brief words on this ceremony that we have this evening. >> Councelor Kelly Garcia. >> Okay, I'll go first. Everyone, good evening. Tonight we have
the honor of um welcoming two wonderful women. Can I have you stand? Wave. Yes. Samantha and Camila. For those of you who don't know, they are family. And I just wanted to say I'm
so proud of you both. Um truly an honor to be here witnessing you both and and the gentlemen. Sorry. Um, but in particular, the women here are are really breaking the glass ceiling for the many young women that are here
before us, many of which are your family members and your boys, too. And so, I'm just I am completely honored uh to welcome you to the Chelsea Police Department and I pray for your safety and thank you for keeping our streets safe. I know mama's in the crowd holding
back tears and um thank you. Thank you for your bravery, your courage, and we welcome you to the Chelsea Police Department. Councelor Ded Garcia. >> Um, I also want to echo, sorry I have no
voice, but I also want to echo what um, my sister um, Councelor Garcia mentioned, watching you girls grow up in this city and having you guys as police officers really um, puts you in a place
for those little girls with a dream. So, thank you. Thank you for being a role model for so many girls and thank you for making us proud. Thank you for making Chelsea proud and thank you for making your mamas proud. Um, we are all so proud of you guys. And of course the
gentlemen, you make us proud, too. >> Councelor Brown. >> Thank you, Madam President. I want to also congratulate you on your significant achievement first and foremost on becoming a Chelsea police officer. Obviously, it's a demanding job. It's a hard job. It's a work job
that requires you to be out there protecting and serving others while you have your family home and your husbands. I know I met one of your husbands um tonight, significant other. It's a rewarding path to success. um our
prayers. Um as a Christian and a believer, I pray each and every day for our firemen, our police officers because again, you do a very tedious job of trying to help people in in really difficult situations and moments of
their lives. And firemen's which are not here tonight, but they also run into fire to try to protect and pull people out of harm's way. and you're here um under the circumstances that we have, but it's a dedication of your commitment
that you've already proved in your training to get this far. And um we are just so honored that the two women are here to continue to um show other women there's room in this field of work as a police officer, not only as an officer,
but as a leader. You are an official leader in our community. people will be looking up to you. Um, we are proud of you as a I am I speak I believe for the body that we know that you will be out there protecting our residents in the
city of Chelsea. So, I'm honored to be here to be with you on your big night tonight and my prayers and thoughts will always be with you. Thank you, >> Councelor Sanate. >> Yes. I also wanted to congratulate you. Um I'm sure it's been difficult and I
know in particular for the women um that you do have more challenges and as the chairperson of the subcommittee for the council on public safety. I've worked very closely with the police department my first term and
I've been extremely impressed by all the hard work. I also happen to uh be the counselor for a district that has uh the need for more than its fair share of engagement and sometimes enforcement. So, um
I just wanted to welcome you and I'm sure I'll see you all in district 5. Um and if I can do anything for you, please call on me. Congratulations. Okay, seeing no other comments, I'll
just share. Chief, do not even think about recruiting any more officers. Um, without further ado, I will ask our Chief Holton to please share a few words and walk us through the ceremony. Thank you, Madame President, and uh the
honorable council and uh city manager uh Maltz. Uh another great day. You know, I've only been the chief for about three and a half years, and I think uh this is about 25 to 30 officers we've sworn in. So, our department has very much changed in the last three or four years. And uh
it's great to know because uh I have some pre-notes and there's a lot of family ties to to the the sergeant and some of the officers direct family then speaking to the two council ladies uh the Garcia they feel the two young ladies tonight are part of their family.
So that is uh uh great to hear. Uh before going on I just want to besides the officers who spend six months in an academy significant background check now they're beginning their field training and they go out into the community which
if they grew up they'll see sometimes it's a different community at certain hours at night and but it's still a caring community and you'll see that we are all family bringing family back together and we holistically try to help everybody in need and that's that's what makes the Chelsea police uh so special.
But I also want to extend warm wishes and thanks to the families whether your spouse, child, uh loved one. Uh you must worry about your children at night when they're on the job. And just to let you know that we are family. We do take care
of each other. Uh and we all love each other. So uh no one ever really thinks of the family why the spouse or son or daughter is out 3 in the morning patrolling the streets. But uh we all do take care of each other. So tonight we'll start off with uh I almost said
the newest sergeant, but he's been a sergeant for a while. Uh uh Sergeant Daniel Veraso. Uh Sergeant Veraso has been on the police department here in Chelsea since 2018. Uh and again, this was when I always look at someone who goes beyond service to the community,
also service to our nation. He's a first class petty officer in the United States Naval Reserves uh since August of 2014. He has been deployed he was deployed in Bahan in the Middle East for a full year back in 2016. So I always acknowledge uh
the members of uh our department who uh who provided service not just to the community to our nation. So Sergeant, thank you very much. And just like the family affair, his brother is also a police officer. I think Joe's here somewhere. I I'm sure he's here. So, uh you'll see a theme of
that in this uh city. There's always which I always think is a a great thing that family generational family members uh cousins and you'll see husband and wives uh serve the city to uh in the greatest way. So, we're going to start
off swearing in Sergeant Faso. So, if you may step up to be sworn in, >> I >> state your name >> do solemnly swear >> and affirm >> that I will faithfully >> that I will faithfully >> and impartially
>> perform all the duties >> perform all the duties >> incumbent upon me >> incumbent upon me >> as sergeant >> as sergeant >> of the Chelsea Police Department >> of the Chelsea Police According to the best >> according to the best >> of my abilities >> of my abilities >> and understanding >> and understanding >> agreeably
>> agreeably >> to the rules and regulations >> to the rules and regulations >> of the Constitution >> of the Constitution >> and laws of the Commonwealth >> the laws of the Commonwealth >> the charter >> the charter >> and the ordinances >> and the ordinances >> of the city of Chelsea >> of the city of Chelsea. >> So help me God.
>> So help me God. The most important part is uh your wife Juliana pinning your badge on so you can stay. Okay, next we move to our three new officers who literally just graduated uh on the uh 18th of November. So, they are real new. That's why they look shiny,
smiling, and happy. Well, Sergeant Verasu has a little more look to him. He's a little more uh career in the job. Uh we'll just go in the uh the order that was given to me. Uh first uh I'm going to call up uh officer Samantha Claudio.
>> So Samantha graduated ever high. I don't know how we let you in Chelsea because there's still but uh and again we talk about family. Uh her husband's a Chelsea firefighter. So where do you get more He'll be he'll be having the honor to uh
put her badge on later. I um I told your husband I said I'm from a fire family of firefighters. I was the only police officer. We're going to talk. Do not let them take over the topic of who has a more important job. We both do. We're just more important. We're going
to let it go. And I'm only joking. Uh so Samantha uh excelled in the academy and Samantha shows perseverance. Um she uh almost got on the job last year I believe at this time and stuck with it. This is not an easy process. Uh but I'm very proud of
her. I'm uh proud that she did so well in the academy. She's going to be an excellent police officer. Uh and like Chamilleia, we have um like 13 12 new 12 female officers now. So we've really come a long way. And when I tell you the female officers
are so vital, uh you I've been on the job since 1986, but we did have like groundbreaking females that came on in 1983 and they're not looked differently from the men on the job. It's they we're all the same. We're in a blue uniform.
For some reason, there's just different tasks that females take than males, and it makes us all safer, makes the community feel better about themselves, and makes uh you should all be able to sleep better at night. And uh Samantha's going to do an outstanding job. So, I'll
have her be sworn in if from the madam clerk. >> Please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I >> I >> state your name. Samantha Claudio >> do solemnly swear >> do solemnly swear >> and affirm >> and affirm >> that I will faithfully >> that I will faithfully >> and impartially >> and impartially
>> perform all the duties >> perform all the duties >> incumbent upon me >> incumbent upon me >> as a police officer >> as a police officer >> of the Chelsea Police Department >> of the Chelsea Police Department >> according to the best >> according to the best >> of my abilities >> of my abilities >> and understanding >> and understanding >> agreeably
>> agreeably >> to the rules and regulations >> to the rules and regulations >> of the Constitution >> of the Constitution >> and laws of of the Commonwealth >> and laws of the Commonwealth, >> the charter >> the charter >> and the ordinances >> and the ordinances >> of the city of Chelsea >> of the city of Chelsea. >> So help me God.
>> So help me God. >> At this time I'd like to call our husband Alexander Lozado to come down and have the honor of pinning his wife's badge on And I will say uh the three new officers, they are part of our field training process. So they're on different shifts. Uh they do an
assignment with a train failed training officer uh before uh they're proficient enough to actually patrol by themselves. So they're all in that process right now. Next, again, it's another family affair. We have uh Officer Juan Vargas, please uh step forward, please.
Now what I know about Juan is there's a joke that the Vgases have great hair. I see his brother the detective back there. So I first met Juan. Juan also persevered because uh this uh it was a journey for him to become a police officer. And I remember him sitting uh outside my office before being
interviewed and he looked just like his brother. He's actually bigger than his brother I think. Uh uh but it was the joke I had was about his brother's hair and they have a great head of hair but he his is probably shaved still from the academy so it'll grow out soon. Uh but again uh
it's it's a journey to be a police officer. There was many years in the last few years that no one wanted to be a police officer. Uh thankfully uh that tide has turned. It looks like it's changed and uh people in our community want to become officers. We've had to go out in the past to look for lateral
transfers and I'm happy to say these three and we have uh five going to the academy in February, all Chelsea residents and we're back and we're getting there. I always tell Fidel that we're close uh to getting but let's call uh Madame Clerk to swearing.
>> Please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I >> I >> state your name. Manuel Vargas >> do solemnly swear >> do solemnly swear >> and affirm >> and affirm >> that I will faithfully >> that I will faithfully >> and impartially >> and impartially >> perform all the duties >> perform all the duties >> incumbent upon me >> incumbent upon me
>> as a police officer >> as a police officer >> of the Chelsea Police Department >> of the Chelsea Police Department >> according to the best >> according to the best >> of my abilities >> of my abilities >> and understanding >> and understanding >> agreeably >> agreeably >> to the rules and regulations >> to the rules and regulations >> of the Constitution
>> of the Constitution >> and laws of the Commonwealth Commonwealth >> and the laws of the Commonwealth, >> the charter >> the charter >> and the ordinances >> and the ordinances >> of the city of Chelsea >> and the city of Chelsea. >> So help me God. >> So help me God. >> And if we can have uh his brother, Detective Gberto Vargas, sister Veronica
Vargas, and mother Marie Vgas come up to pen the badge. Hey, Mom. They're hearing you. And last but not least, uh, Officer Camila Vega, if you can step forward,
please. Officer Vega, too, has an interesting story. She probably doesn't remember. I think we did speak doing license inspections at you worked at the hotel, and this was probably three years ago. she wanted to be a police officer and we do license inspection checking liquor establishments and I had a conversation
with her and she had the same smile, same personality that she really wanted to be a police officer and I'm so happy uh and keep that smile for 32 years. Madam clerk, >> raise your right hand and repeat after me. I
>> state your name. do solemnly swear >> domly swear >> and affirm >> and affirm >> that I will faithfully >> that I will faithfully >> and impartially >> and impartially >> perform all the duties >> perform all the duties >> incumbent upon me >> incumbent upon me >> as a police officer >> as a police officer >> of the Chelsea Police Department
>> of the Chelsea Police Department >> according to the best >> according to the best >> of my abilities >> my abilities >> and understanding >> and understanding >> agreeably >> agreeably >> to the rules and regulations >> the rules and regulations >> of the Constitution >> of the Constitution >> and laws of the Commonwealth >> and laws of the commonwealth >> the charter
>> the charter >> and the ordinances >> and the ordinances >> of the city of Chelsea >> of the city of Chelsea. >> So help me God. >> So help me God. >> And if we can have Bianca Aoya office of Vegas just to come and pin the badge. Thank you very much, members of the
council. Thank you so much. >> Thank you, Chief. With that being said, I think we're going to take a quick break for photos. Yes, we can adjourn. Meeting adjourned.