The University of Tennessee Health Science Center Police Department held a swearing-in and promotion ceremony Thursday. Seven officers were sworn in, a dispatcher was welcomed, and a sergeant was promoted to lieutenant during the event in the dining hall of the Student-Alumni Center. New officers took an oath to protect and serve and had their badges officially pinned on.
Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operations Officer Ken Brown, JD, MPA, PhD, FACHE, welcomed the new officers and their families, offering words of encouragement and gratitude as they begin their new careers. “The job that you signed up for is not insignificant,” he said. “You intentionally put your lives on the line daily for the benefit of everyone. We owe you a tremendous debt of gratitude.”
Honorees included Sergeant Joanne Morrow, who was promoted to the rank of lieutenant; Ashley Hoof, a police dispatcher; Terrensky Moore, a security officer; Latoya Williams, a security officer; Joe Allen, a police officer; Kiera Hardville, a police officer; Cherelle Lewis, a police officer; Britney Patton, a police officer, and Albert Smith, a police officer.
“Ceremonies like these are very special to us, in that we are able to give recognition to the men and women who have chosen the UTHSC Campus Police Department as their career choice,” Deputy Chief of Police Arley Knight said. “It also gives us the opportunity to demonstrate to our employees just how meaningful and important they are to our goal of making UTHSC the safest campus in the state of Tennessee.”