Family, friends and UCF Police officers and staff welcomed five new officers to the department on Thursday, March 22.

The swearing-in ceremony was UCFPD Chief Richard Beary’s final one before his retirement in June.

“We want you to be the best you can be,” Chief Beary said to the new officers. “We also want you to be the most ethical and represent this agency and the state of Florida to the best of your ability.”

The new officers are:

  • Bianca Becker, a UCF alumna who was formerly a boxing trainer and fitness coach to amateur and professional athletes.
  • Dawn Ferrera, a 20-year veteran of the New York Police Department who is excited to mentor students and younger officers at the department.
  • Devin Narine, a University of North Florida graduate and former UNF Police Officer of the Year.
  • Kevin Quintero, a former New York State Police officer who chose UCF for the family atmosphere.
  • Albert Sammelian, a law enforcement rookie who is excited to start a new journey where he can be positive police contact within the UCF community.

    • All five will continue to complete classroom and field training before hitting the road on their own. Each trainee will be paired with a patrol officer to get hands-on experience, and they’ll be assigned to patrol when field training is complete.

    In addition to the new hires, three UCFPD veterans were honored for rising through the ranks. Twelve-year agency veteran Pablo Vargas was promoted to sergeant, and 11-year UCFPD veteran Greg Larkin and 8-year department veteran Chase Crane were promoted to corporals.

    A live-stream of the ceremony can be viewed here.