Brent Seavecki was sworn in as New London’s newest police officer Monday, Jan. 19.
City officials, police officers, friends and family members attended the official swearing in ceremony at 9 a.m.
Seavecki recently completed a four-year criminal justice degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and graduated from the Police Academy at North Central Technical College in November 2014.
The Plover native graduated high school from Stevens Point Area High School.
It was there he first became interested in police science after he participated in ride-a-along with the Stevens Point Police Department his senior year.
Two years into his undergraduate studies at UW-Milwaukee, Seavecki declared his bachelor of science major in Criminal Justice.
Many of his family are professionals in the medical field. Seavecki is the first to work in law enforcement.
“I kind of went in a different route, where I can still help people in a different way,” said Seavecki.
The community service aspect of law enforcement was appealing to him, as well as the physical demands of the job.
“I like working out, my whole life I’ve been big on physical fitness and seeing what I can do,” said Seavecki. “I love the outdoors and moving around.”
During college, he had the opportunity to meet many experienced law enforcement officers, some through additional ride-a-long trips, and several other veteran officers were his instructors.
“Every officer that I talked to said they really liked what they were doing,” said Seavecki.
Many of them emphasized that in law enforcement there is something new and different every day.
“I like that. I don’t really like sitting behind a desk,” Seavecki explained.
In his free time, he enjoys sports, fishing, hunting, spending time with friends and being outside.
He said he was excited making the move to New London this past weekend.
The area’s natural resources were appealing to him when he learned he was a finalist in New London’s search for an officer.
“I had several resumes out and received calls from other places,” said Seavecki. “But this is where I wanted to be.”
New London Police Chief Jeff Schlueter said Seavecki was among a field of more than a hundred applicants.
Of those around 65 showed up for the testing date, where candidates undergo a physical test and written test.
From there, 30 candidates are selected for additional testing. The field narrows to 15, and then five, through an interview process.
The Police and Fire Commission chooses from the top five candidates after extensive background checks, psychological exams, a physical medical screening, and a detailed polygraph test.
“By the time we’re done we feel pretty good about them,” said New London Police Chief Jeff Schlueter. “Throughout the process, we’ve gotten to know them a little bit before they even start.”
Once hired, new officers begin an in-house training process.
For the first three months, they work alongside a Field Training Officer (FTO). They receive daily evaluations and work in a variety of different shifts with different FTOs.
New London has five FTO’s not including supervisors who are also FTO certified.
Officers can work on their own, after the first three months, but they still receive additional evaluations and training opportunities beyond their first year of probation.
Schlueter said the training process lasts nearly two years.
He said New London will be hiring another full time officer to fill a vacancy Jan. 30 when Dave Klinzing retires after 29½ years of service. Most recently, Klinzing served as Police Liaison Officer. Detective Josh Wilson will move up to fill the PLO vacancy.