IN PICTURES: NEW POLICE OFFICERS & DEPUTIES SWEAR TO PROTECT & SERVE

Graduates of the Basic Law Enforcement Academy include eight new Key West Police officers and six new Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies. MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly

“Make no mistake. We are the good guys.”

Sheriff Rick Ramsay was standing before 300 people Friday evening at the College of the Florida Keys, but speaking directly to those in the first three rows — the 21 new law enforcement officers who swore to protect and serve their Keys communities.

The ceremony at Tennessee Williams Fine Arts Center also included corrections officers, who had finished their training a few months ago, but were unable to have a ceremony.

Eight of the new graduates are now Key West Police officers, while six are Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies.

Ramsay emphasized the importance of community policing and building positive relationships with people. 

“If they know you, they’ll like you, they’ll trust you and they’ll respect you. If they don’t know you, they won’t,” Ramsay told the graduates. “We need to build relationships so people know us in the good times. Otherwise, they only see us at the worst times of their lives.”

Key West Police Chief Sean Brandenburg spoke of the extraordinary career choice each of the graduates had made.

“This is a profession like no other,” he said. “You are charged with protecting lives, but also authorized to take a life. One of our most important duties is to earn and keep the public’s trust.”

The new Key West officers include: Samuel Adorno, Esteban Andrade, Jack Gruba, John Ham, William Adam Marengo, Roy Owens, Christy Salter and Dylan Slaunwhite.

The new deputies for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office are: Brooke Colina, Eryka Del Cueto, Zachary Kalisek, Lee Mortensen, Louis Quad and Edward Torres Jr.

Mandy Miles drops stuff, breaks things and falls down more than any adult should. An award-winning writer, reporter and columnist, she's been stringing words together in Key West since 1998. "Local news is crucial," she says. "It informs and connects a community. It prompts conversation. It gets people involved, holds people accountable. The Keys Weekly takes its responsibility seriously. Our owners are raising families in Key West & Marathon. Our writers live in the communities we cover - Key West, Marathon & the Upper Keys. We respect our readers. We question our leaders. We believe in the Florida Keys community. And we like to have a good time." Mandy's married to a saintly — and handy — fishing captain, and can't imagine living anywhere else.