April 8, 2020 by Hingham Anchor Staff Writer
On Monday, April 6, 2020, Jake Handrahan, Kevin Duff, Max Goldstein and Christopher Meservey were sworn in as Hingham Police Officers.
According to Chief Glenn Olsson, the hiring process to fill these positions began in June of 2019.
"As Chief, it is always an exciting time to bring new recruits into our family. Their eagerness and energy to get out there and make a difference renews that spirit of why we all wanted to be a Police Officer," says Chief Olsson.
To comply with social distancing, Hingham's Town Clerk, Eileen McCracken, administered the Oath of Office via Zoom for each new Officer with the help of Deputy Chief Jones and Admin Lt. Jones who were able to use their technical knowledge to arrange the teleconference.
When asked what impact the unusual format had on the ceremony, Chief Olsson shared, "teleconferencing a swearing-in was a unique experience. It’s a little disappointing that they were not able to have a graduation ceremony and then have a public swearing-in process. They are proud of what they accomplished and wanted to share with family and friends. I really miss the graduations; the older I get, the more it reminds me of our eternal hope of serving the public and making a better world. It is ironic in some ways that the job we all signed up for often requires sacrifice. These four officers started making sacrifices before they graduated."
Friends and family of the new Officers, as well as the general public are usually invited to attend the ceremony, but yesterday's event was private in an effort to maintain social distancing.
Hingham Police told the Anchor staff that they do hope to hold formal event or ceremony at a later time . According to Olsson, "there is a lot of bonding that goes on in an Academy Class and a sense of pride about your fellow Academy Officer that stays with you your entire career. I hope that when they look back, they will find that pride in the fact that the nation is rallying to face the challenges and tragedies of Covid-19."
In a final message to these new Officers, Chief Olsson left them with a piece of advice that can benefit us all, "always be honest, treat people like you want your family to be treated, and do the right thing because you want to."
The Hingham Anchor would like to sincerely welcome these Officers and thank them all for their commitment to serving our community.