Family, friends and UCF Police officers and staff welcomed four new officers to the department at a swearing-in ceremony in July.
This group features two UCF alumni who were also former UCF employees, along with a former professional basketball player and an officer with previous law enforcement experience.
“It takes a special kind of person to be a UCF police officer,” says UCF Police Chief Carl Metzger ’03MS. “Most people can’t — or won’t — do it. I expect our officers to do the right thing, always. This can be a tough job but I have the utmost faith that these four are up to the challenge.”
At their swearing-in ceremony, Deputy Chief Robin Griffin-Kitzerow offered her words of wisdom for the new officers.
“On my desk I have a plaque that says, ‘Be the reason people believe in good people’ and I challenge you to be the reason people believe in good cops,” says Griffin-Kitzerow. “We get the opportunity every single day to make a difference, a positive difference, in somebody’s life. Offer guidance, kindness, compassion, support and everything that they would expect in a rescuer and you’ll be just fine.”
The new officers are:
- Brittany Denson, a USF alumna who was a professional basketball player before deciding to start a career in law enforcement.
- Manny Guerrero ’21, a UCF criminal justice alum and former employee for UCF’s Parking Services division who is originally from New York City.
- Allison Sienkiewicz ’17, a UCF criminal justice alumna who previously worked as a threat management analyst at UCFPD before joining the sworn side.
- Roman Watkins, who is originally from Pennsylvania and served as an officer at the Belle Isle Police Department.
The four patrol officers recently completed their classroom training and will now hit the road on the main campus. They will spend several weeks paired with senior officers to receive hands-on experience out in the field before graduating to solo patrol.
A live-stream of the ceremony can be viewed here.
