Glen Carbon Welcomes Two New Police Officers

GLEN CARBON - The Glen Carbon Police Department welcomed two new police officers at the Village Board meeting last night. Officers Christopher Nicholas and Mitchell Reynolds took the oath and were officially sworn in by Mayor Bob Marcus after some introductions from Police Chief Todd Link.

Reynolds was issued badge number GLEN64 while Nicholas was issued Badge number GLEN65. Both were hired after the department received a COPS grant of $250,000 to expand their personnel.

Chief Link noted that the two new officers came to the department “brand new,” without any prior training, but that they’ve since proven to be fast learners.

“Hiring an untrained and untested probationary officer can be a challenge for a police agency … it can be a challenge, it can be a dice roll,” Chief Link said. “I’m glad that we took the risk on these two officers, because they’ve turned out to be great police officers. From the moment I met them, I’ve been impressed by their professional demeanor, by their intelligence, by their ability to work with others, and by their tremendous work ethic.”

Both Reynolds and Nicholas graduated from the Police Academy in April and received 95% academic scores, graduating near the top of their class of about 100 officers. Chief Link noted they’ve been widely praised and have been “doing an excellent job” throughout their field training.

Reynolds is a 24-year-old Lindenwood graduate who earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a minor in Criminology and Criminal Justice Systems. Prior to joining the force, he worked as an EMT with the Hillsboro Area Ambulance Service.

Nicholas is a 23-year-old SIUE graduate who earned a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice. He previously served in the Illinois Air National Guard and worked at Scott Air Force Base.

Both officers then stepped to the front, one after the other, to take their oaths and be sworn in by Mayor Tom Stalcup. Reynolds’ father pinned his police badge on, then Nicholas’s sister and her niece pinned his badge on.

A full recording of the swearing-in - and the rest of the Village Board meeting - can be watched at the top of this story or on the Village of Glen Carbon Facebook page.

Print Version