Their journeys to law enforcement started very differently — in the halls of UCF, taking 911 calls in Osceola county, on the streets of New York and inside a county jail — but their paths all crossed when they were officially introduced as the newest class of officers at the UCF Police Department.

Family, friends and UCF Police officers and staff welcomed the six new officers to the department at a swearing-in ceremony Wednesday.

“The UCF community is going to be in great hands with this group of quality individuals,” says Chief Carl Metzger ’03MS. “We’re proud of you, we’re proud that you’re joining us, and I’m confident that you all will do very, very well.”

The new officers are:

  • Gerard Flood, an New York Police Department veteran who recently moved to Orlando
  • Ashley Gonzalez Montanez, a former Walt Disney World Resort security team member
  • Khayree Pender ’15, a former county jail employee and former middle school teacher
  • Jeff Severe, a Miami native and former county jail employee
  • Elizabeth Sparks, an Illinois native and former dispatcher of 12 years
  • Caleb Thompson ’06, a former Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputy

    • All six will join the UCFPD family as patrol officers, and many of them bring years of experience in public safety with them to UCF.

    They’ve spent several weeks completing classroom training and will soon be paired with patrol officers, getting hands-on experience out in the field.

    View the swearing-in ceremony below.

    https://www.facebook.com/UCFPolice/videos/299125220793723/