Press Release | Office of the Mayor | Westland Police Department Welcomes Two New Officers

For Immediate Release | Official Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

36300 Warren Road | Westland, Michigan | 48185

Office 734.467.3200 | Fax 734.422.1230

WWW.CITYOFWESTLAND.COM

Westland Police Department Welcomes Two New Officers

Westland, MI (September 25, 2018) - On Monday, September 17 the Westland Police Department welcomed two new police officers, Michael Bolton and Shamir Enrique Garcia-Romero, at a swearing-in ceremony.

Officer Bolton grew up in Wayne and graduated from Wayne Memorial High School. He obtained an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice from Schoolcraft College and graduated from the Wayne County Regional Police Academy. Officer Bolton w orked for the Westland Police Department as a Police Service Aide for 1 ½ years before accepting a position as a full time police officer with the Wayne Police Department.

Officer Romero was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Westland in 1995. He attended Wayne-Westland Schools: Patchin Elementary, Stevenson Middle School, and John Glenn High School. He also worked at John Glenn as a School Safety Officer. Romero mentored 67 students in the Wayne-Westland Community School District Scholars Program and is an active Varsity Wrestling Coach for the John Glenn Rockets. Romero also worked for 2 years as a Westland Police Service Aide and graduated from the Washtenaw College Police Academy where he was sponsored by the Westland Police Department through the police service aide Chief's program.

"The aids are trained with the techniques that Westland Officers receive and the program allows us to train and evaluate potential new officers," commented Chief Jeff Jedrusik. "We have hired a number of service aids as Westland Police Officers over the years and it has proven to be an effective tool to build diversity within the department."

"We welcome these talented officers as the newest members of the Westland Police Department," commented Mayor Wild. "Their respective backgrounds coupled with their experience serving within the Westland Police Department make them valuable assets to the community."

For more information, please call Aubrey Berman at (734)467-3200

Westland, Michigan is the state's 10th largest municipality, with a population of over 84,000 people who exhibit a great deal of pride in their All-American City. Westland has a thriving business community along with beautiful residential areas. The citizens enjoy a wide array of amenities and a quality of life that is second to none.

In 2014, Westland was rated as one of 24/7 Wall Street's America's Best 50 Cities to Live, offering residents and visitors an ideal blend of single-family affordable homes, apartments and condominiums, great schools, and access to numerous outdoor activities. Public safety is delivered by full-service, professional law enforcement and firefighting personnel. Westland Police Department, whose motto is protect and serve, provides emergency dispatch services to four cities and over 100,000 residents; the Westland Fire Department are licensed paramedics who responded to over 9,000 calls for service last year, about 85% being medical based. They never forget their mission of preserving life and property.

Westland is well-known as the premier destination for shopping and dining in Wayne County with hundreds of shops and restaurants anchored by the Westland Shopping Center, one of the country's original four regional malls.

Infinite opportunities are available in Westland for the recreation aficionado including, more than 40 parks and 1,500 acres of trails, a 9-hole golf course, hockey arena, athletic fields, playscapes, a Farmers and Artisans Market and more. One of Michigan's most environmentally friendly cities, Westland has a progressive curbside recycling program with one of the highest participation rates in the nation and the City is raising the bar for cultural experiences with the placement of public art throughout the City.

The City is served by two public school districts; Wayne-Westland Community Schools serving 12,000 youth was recently named one of the Best School in Michigan by WXYZ-TV and is the proud recipient of 14 Golden Apple and two Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards. Livonia Public Schools, educating nearly 15,000 students, is proud of their MEAP/MME scores that exceed state averages and the District has also earned Golden Apple and Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards.

The City provides competitive incentives for those who are interested in investing in Westland, making it one of the hottest investment markets in the region. Our Fast-Track to Business Team, which consists of key decision makers who work diligently on a development plan will "cut the red tape" and expedite the approval process for new business development.