Changing the face of St Augustine’s police

Complaints have been made to Historic City News local reporters concerning how city boards, staff, and public safety departments do not reflect the racial and ethnic mix of the community; hiring and appointments have been, more often than not, of white males.

That said, one of the departments that has been at the forefront of criticism, The St. Augustine Police Department, has added six new officers to its ranks yesterday; including two female officers and two African-American officers.

“These officers will go through a Field Training Program for several months,” Police Chief Loran Lueders told reporters. “When they finish this program, they will be ready to patrol the streets of St. Augustine.”

City Manager John Regan announced the selections at Monday evening’s meeting of the St Augustine City Commission. He offered that it has been difficult to get high quality minority applicants to come forward. Regan said that he had been working with members of the community to seek out and recruit more minority applicants who are qualified to hold employment as new positions become available.

A brief ceremony to officially appoint the new officers was held in the Alcazar Room of the Lightner Museum; attended by friends and family members.

Joining the ranks of the department of 53 certified law enforcement officers are officers Austin Davis, Johnathan Brown, Lora Vaughn, Dee Brown, James Vinnicombe, and Caroline Drouin.