Spencer police department now largest in history
Published 12:10 am Friday, June 2, 2023
Officer AC Niblock was promoted to the rank of Corporal in the Spencer police department Thursday night to the pride of his mother, Theresa, who pinned on his new badge. Photo by Elisabeth Strillacci
Spencer Police Chief Michael File encouraged everyone who attended Thursday night's swearing in a promotion ceremony to enjoy a "healthy piece of cake.' Photo by Elisabeth Strillacci
Officer NJ O'Brien brought 25 years of experience when he joined the Spencer PD in 2022, and Thursday he was promoted to Corporal. Photo by Elisabeth Strillacci
New Spencer Police officer TR Puckett has his wife pin on his badge. Elisabeth Strillacci / Salisbury Post
New Spencer police officer CJ Padgett has his wife pin on his brand new badge Thursday to the cheers of fellow officers and guests. Photo by Elisabeth Strillacci
SPENCER — The police department will be fully staffed as soon as one more officer completes training and joins four new hires.
Two of those new hires are entirely new to policing, CJ Padgett and TR Puckett, who were sworn in by Mayor Jonathan Williams Thursday night in a ceremony at city hall. Both officers had new badges pinned on by their wives to the cheers of fellow officers and guests in attendance.
In addition, Sgt. TR Everett has joined the Spencer department as a detective after four years with the Salisbury police and a term with Kannapolis police before that. Officer K. Lane joined the department after a term of service for the East Spencer police department.
The two officers who have served elsewhere preferred to let the new officers take the spotlight Thursday, telling Chief Michael File the new police deserved their moment in the sun.
And after the swearing in, two other officers, AC Niblock and NJ O’Brien, were promoted to the rank of corporal.
File said there are currently 17 officers in total in the department, 14 that are full time and three that are part time, with one more in the process who, when he joins, will bring the size of the department to its largest ever.
“It is truly amazing, when you think about where we were two years ago,” said Williams. “We had to have an agreement with the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office for assistance, and we are immensely grateful for their help and cooperation, but we have not had to renew that contract.”
File said he is pleased with the new hires, both in enthusiasm and professionalism.
“I actually swore these guys in weeks ago in the back room because they were chomping at the bit to hit the streets,” he said. “I am very grateful for our city’s leadership in our growth, because they understand that as the town grows, so does the need for public safety services, and they are working to get ahead of it.”
Williams agreed.
“We believe that with a little bit of forethought, we can do our best to keep up with the growth,” he said. “Unlike other areas, who have had to stop development because they just don’t have the services to keep up, we are trying to do what we can to stay ahead of the curve.” He added that when it comes to the future of Spencer, the board of aldermen all have a united vision.
“We may have different ideas about how to get to the destination, but even then, we have open and peaceful discussions about all our ideas and then reach a consensus, and that ability to work together toward a common goal also serves our community well.”
He had words of praise for File as well as his department.
“The chief has done a great job at developing both a strong team and a reputation in the community for responsiveness,” he said. “He has lead the way in making this a department people want to join and want to stay with.”
