The UCF Police Department welcomed four new officers today in front of an audience filled with family, friends, fellow UCFPD officers and staff, and members of the community.

The officers started their field training in February and were sworn into the UCFPD family Monday by Chief Richard Beary.

“The thing we cherish here is the ability to help the public but also to come up with new ideas and creative ideas to save lives and provide the service that we do,” Chief Beary said.

After completing their classroom and field training, the new officers will be paired with a patrol officer to get hands-on experience on the road. Once they’ve completed that training, they will be assigned to patrol.

The new officers are:

  • Maya Tolentino, a graduate of Valencia and Rollins College, was formerly a member of the Altamonte Police Department. She’s lived in the UCF area for the past 25 years and said that nothing pleases her more than protecting and serving the community where her family lives. Tolentino loves to sing, and her family used to own a karaoke music store.
  • Eric Bryant, from Oviedo, served with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office for 32 years before coming to UCFPD. He looks forward to interacting with students, and he likes the culture of UCFPD and how everything the agency does is to protect the students, staff and visitors.
  • Jose Morales, originally from Colombia, recently received his associate’s degree and law enforcement certification from Valencia College. An undergraduate student at UCF, he is looking forward to joining a police department he is familiar with and loves. This is his first job in law enforcement, and he’s excited to work among so many experienced officers whom he can learn from.
  • Alfonso Tejeira, originally from Panama City, Panama, received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from FSU before coming to Orlando. He retired from the Orlando Police Department after serving the community for 23 years, and he earned an additional bachelor’s degree in Sports and Exercise from UCF in 2014. He enjoys coaching youth sports in his spare time.

    • Click here to watch a Facebook live video of the swearing-in ceremony.