Crime & Safety
Seven Stoughton Natives Sworn in as Stoughton Police Officers
Daniel Barber, Heather Cheever, Tom Covino, Tim Hansler, David Hoadley, Albert Medeiros, and Michael Medina graduated from the Police Academy and were sworn in as Stoughton Police officers on Tuesday.
Calling it a historic moment for the town, Stoughton Police Chief Paul Shastany introduced the department's seven newest officers at Tuesday's Board of Selectmen meeting.
Daniel Barber, Heather Cheever, Tom Covino, Tim Hansler, David Hoadley, Albert Medeiros, and Michael Medina - all Stoughton natives - graduated from the Boston Police Academy and were sworn in as Stoughton Police officers on Tuesday.
In this group of new officers are "two Corrections Officers, two Portuguese speaking officers, a police dispatcher, a Marine and a district attorney's office clerk," according to the Stoughton Police Facebook page.
"All are well educated and survived our extensive and grueling hiring process," the post continues.
For the past 26 weeks, these even officers were put through a grueling Boston Police Academy, which pushes recruits both mentally and physically, while preparing them for their role as police officers, according to Shastany.
This training started 26 weeks and two days ago - something not to be overlooked, Shastany said, as that is the distance of the Boston Marathon (26.2 miles). During their training, these officers were deployed on the streets of Boston in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon terrorist bombings.
Find out what's happening in Stoughtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"They went through the toughest academy in the East Coast. They have earned the right to wear the badge," Shastany said. "I'm very proud of them. They've distinguished themselves in Boston and in Massachusetts."
"I've always wanted to be a police officer since I was young," said Cheever, the lone female among the seven new officers. "Before this I was a corrections officer in hopes that this day would someday be here."
Cheever and the other new officers are looking forward to protecting their hometown.
"It's a nice feeling to finally be a police officer and to serve and protect everyone in Stoughton and a lot of the people I grew up with," she said.
"I grew up in Stoughton my whole life, so this has been a goal of mine since I was very young and I think it's going to be a great opportunity for me to show the other members of the community that you can grow up and achieve your goals," Hansler said.
"We're very lucky that the town of Stoughton gave us this opportunity," Barber added.
"The Town of Stoughton gave us a lot. We were very fortunate to have the education we received here, we were fortunate to have the great sports, and great teachers the whole time growing up. It made us into the people that we are today, so to be able to finally give back to the town that's provided so much for me and the other officers - I think we're all excited for that opportunity," he continued.
The seven new officers join four other recent hires - Marc Baldner, Dan Carmichael, Sheanna Isabel, and Matt Farwell (a lateral transfer from Wellesley) - who were previously brought aboard during Shastany's tenure as Chief, as new faces to lead the department for the next number of years.
"I love this occupation. I hope you love it as much as I do," Shastany said to the seven new officers Tuesday night. "Take good care of this town."
Find out what's happening in Stoughtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
