SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The Sioux Falls Police Department is celebrating one of its biggest recruit classes ever.
This week, the city welcomed 17 new officers.
Jason Vultaggio is familiar with responding to emergencies.
He most recently worked as an EMT in Washington state.
But now he’s preparing to wear a Sioux Falls Police uniform.
“As a kid, I grew up coming back here in the summers to see family. I recently came back for the Fourth of July and realized how great the community is, a sense of altruism, I think is something really unique to Sioux Falls,” Vultaggio said.
Meanwhile, Seth Schincke of Tea is coming to the police department from the auto industry.
“Getting to help people with buying a new car or fixing their new cars is great, but it just wasn’t enough for me. I was looking for that bigger sense of purpose, somewhere where I could help the community as a whole,” Schincke said.
Both men are part of a class of 17.
Police Chief Jon Thum says factors that help determine class size include upcoming retirements and meeting the demands of a growing city.
“When I got hired back in 2005, it was a class of 16. You saw at that period we had classes of 16, 15, 14, kind of some bigger classes. We’re in another cycle I think, as the growth of our community, we should see classes this size. Our hope is our next class will exceed that 17. We’ll probably set a new record,” Thum said.
This is the first week on the job for the officers.
It will take about nine months of training before they can patrol the streets on their own.
Vultaggio will be able to take important skills from his previous job to his new one.
“You’re getting called on people’s worst days, on their bad days. Nobody’s calling you so say, ‘Hey, come hang out.’ Having to have that personable demeanor and being able to talk with individuals who aren’t necessarily in a calm headspace and helping bring them down, explain what’s going on, and having that good interpersonal skill, I think that’s vital,” Vultaggio said.
Both of the officers we talked with also have military backgrounds.
