SLPD adds three new officers

The Storm Lake Police are adding more manpower. Two new officers were sworn in Monday by Storm Lake Mayor Jon Kruse. Another will be sworn in next week following approval from the City Council to hire a 19th officer. Both officers sworn in Monday will be attending the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy at Camp Dodge in Johnston running from April through July and then will complete 10 weeks of field training with local law enforcement officials. Public Safety Director Mark Prosser says he anticipates both will be on patrol by later this fall.

Andrew Schuchhardt, 22, of Indianola graduated from Iowa State University in December 2008 and moved to Storm Lake recently. He says he decided to pursue a career in law enforcement because he felt it was a career that could help improve him as a person. Chet Hartwell, 21 of Peterson is currently taking courses at Iowa Central Community College and anticipates graduating in the fall 2009. Hartwell says he lived in Storm Lake through fourth grade before his family moved to Peterson. He says law enforcement has always been a career he's been interested in, as his father was a firefighter and EMT.