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YPD swears in three new officers
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
For city police Detective Sgt. Pat Kelly, Thursday was a trip back in time to the day he was first sworn in as a city patrolman 26 years ago.
Kelly said he remembered that day as he watched his son, Casey Kelly, also take the oath for patrolman in city council chambers along with Eric Mallory and Darrel “Fred” Herdman.
The three will begin in-service training today and next week before they are assigned a training officer for three to four months. They will then receive a beat of their own.
All three of the new officers are graduates of the police academy at Youngstown State University.
The three are taking the place of several officers who are retiring, including two who are retiring today.
Kelly will be retiring in 2018, but he said he looks forward to closing out his career by serving with his son. They are presently the only father-son tandem active on the department.
“I can’t wait to boss him around a little bit,” Kelly said, chuckling.
His son, who served four years in the Navy, said being a police officer, especially in Youngstown, is a lifelong dream. He said he was heavily influenced by his father and the tales he would tell, and he is also motivated to serve in the city where he grew up.
“Being able to give back to the community was something I wanted to do,” Casey Kelly said.
Mallory, of Warren, also served in the armed forces, in the Army. He said being a police officer is something he has always wanted to do.
“This is something I’ve wanted to do since I was a child,” Mallory said.
He said his experiences in the military will help him because it gets him used to working with others as a team. He also said he wanted to serve the community.
Herdman has spent two years as a probation officer with Mahoning County, but he said an internship he had with the department in 2013 made him want to be a member.
“I’ve seen what it takes to be a police officer,” Herdman said.
Herdman, a native of Scottsdale, Ariz., said he also wants to pay back the city for how it has welcomed him since he moved here seven years ago.
Like any parent, Pat Kelly said he would worry for his son due to the nature of police work, but he added: “If he treats people right, he’ll do fine on the job.”