Photo provided by Warren IT Department Warren Safety Service Director Eddie Colbert, left, stands alongside newly sworn in officers Justin Arcuri, Salvatore Colletti and Warren police Chief Eric Merkel.

WARREN — The Warren City Police Department welcomed two new officers to its ranks Thursday morning in a swearing-in ceremony held in City Council chambers.

A small gathering of family members, friends, on-duty and off-duty police officers, detectives and department leadership attended the event for officers Salvatore Colletti and Justin Arcuri.

The officers’ arrival marked the culmination of a revived cadet program that Warren police Chief Eric Merkel described as one of several efforts the department had undertaken to bolster recruitment amid ongoing national challenges in law enforcement staffing.

The department has employed multiple recruitment strategies, including sign-on bonuses, academy reimbursements and lateral transfers, with recent success leaning toward cadets and laterals.

Safety Service Director Eddie Colbert, who administered the oaths, talked about the rigorous path the new officers had navigated. He said that the department had progressed from offering sign-on bonuses to reimbursing Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPATA) costs, before reinstating a cadet initiative not seen since the early 1990s.

“These guys go through a lot. Nothing is given to them,” Colbert said. He emphasized the civil service exam, extensive background checks, polygraphs and the need for complete honesty.

Colbert described the Warren Police Department as “the best in the state of Ohio,” pointing to comprehensive training, top-tier equipment and a commitment to ensuring officers return home safely each night.

The additions of the newly sworn-in Colletti and Arcur bring the department’s current staffing to 65 officers (with one more in the academy). The city hopes to maintain around 70 or more officers.

New officers will undergo at least nine months of field training with veteran partners before solo patrols, assigned via seniority in the Emergency Services Division.

The two new officers completed their training at the police academy through Kent State University’s Trumbull campus.

Merkel echoed the pride in the cadet program’s revival, noting it had not been active for many years. He stressed that the department refuses to lower standards despite shortages, even as retirements loom, including a captain set to retire in April.

“We’re not going to lower our standards just because we’re a few cops short,” Merkel said. He welcomed the officers and their families into the department’s “family,” praising the Valley’s training quality and the cadets’ prior exposure to the department.

The ceremony proceeded with each officer individually sworn in. Colletti and Arcuri placed their left hands on a Bible held by family members and raised their right hands, repeating the oath administered by Colbert to uphold the U.S. and Ohio constitutions, faithfully discharge their duties impartially and honestly, and serve the city of Warren to the best of their ability.

Following the oaths, the group retired to the council caucus room, where the new officers signed official paperwork. Once the final copies were stamped, they officially became Warren police officers.

Arcuri, whose family has deep roots in Warren-area public service, including a firefighter uncle and a canine officer cousin, said the moment allowed him to continue a legacy. He began academy training in August and joined the cadet program in December.

Colletti, originally from Cortland but a Warren City Schools graduate, credited a former coach and current Warren detective for inspiring his career choice. He described policing in Warren as his lifelong goal.