Two new officers join Crestview Police force

CRESTVIEW — The Crestview Police Department’s two newest officers bring prior law enforcement and military experience to their positions as patrol officers, and each aspires to advance during a long-term career with the agency.

Mayor JB Whitten swore in Christopher Anderson and Matthew Currie on Dec. 18 in a ceremony attended by families of both officers, Chief Stephen McCosker and CPD police officers, investigators, command staff and administration staff members. Both officers are graduates of the Florida Law Enforcement Academy.

Anderson served in the Air Force Security Forces and then as an Eglin Air Force Base Range Patrol officer, joining former fellow airman and Security Forces member Officer Brendan Richmond at CPD.

He aspires to join the department’s Special Enforcement Team and “continue the challenge of combating illegal narcotics,” McCosker said during the swearing-in ceremony.

Currie, a former U.S. Marine, currently serves as a combat engineer with the Florida Army National Guard.

“Mat joined the law enforcement family to continue the family-like feeling he enjoyed while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and the Florida National Guard,” McCosker said.

Anderson aspires to become a supervisor in the police’s Patrol Division, “where he can lead by example,” the chief said.

His police shield was pinned on by his daughter Annabelle. Viviana Currie pinned on her husband Matthew’s shield.

Following the ceremony, CPD officers escorted their new colleagues and their families on a tour of the department. The officers now begin a probationary training program.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Two new officers join Crestview Police force