FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – Thirteen new deputies were sworn into the Flagler County Sheriff's Office Monday, totaling the department at 191 deputies in law enforcement and detention.
The new deputies completed 700 hours of basic recruit training at a law enforcement academy and will now begin seven weeks of in-house classroom training with the Field Training Evaluation Program, which includes everything from firearms, camera systems, evidence collection, policies and DUI training to intensive crisis intervention training and more.
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Sheriff James L. Manfire told the new employees, "Always, always have the back of the person next to you. We're more than law enforcement officers here. We are domestic abuse counselors, we're marriage counselors, we're mental health counselors."
Manfire urged the new deputies to strive to improve every day and told them he hopes they'll spend their career with Flagler County.
Newly sworn in deputies included:
Troy Cavas, 32, of Austin, Texas
Austin Chewning, 26, of Bunnell
Blake Colson, 20, of Coral Springs
Javia Elmore, 22
Diego Gonzalez, 30, of Chile
Daniel Malta, 20, of Flagler County
Kyle McLaughlin, 25, of Port Orange
Michael Perez, 41, of Ocala
Patrick Pielarz, 20, of New York City
Crista Rainey, 43, of New Jersey
J. Gibson Smith, 27, of Daytona Beach
Nicole Thomas, 26, of St. Augustine
Braxton Wall, 30, of Palm Coast
The deputies will be on probation for three months as they go on the road with a field training officer.