The Dalton Police Department's newest officer was introduced to the members of the Public Safety Commission on Tuesday morning before taking his oath of office. Officer Shane Warnix graduated from the police academy last week, earning top academic honors.
"We're very proud of that, that's no small feat," said Chief Cliff Cason of Officer Warnix's academic award. "That's very competitive. We expect big things out of him, and he comes very highly recommended from members of the community.
He has a very good background and we think he will be an excellent fit for the department and for the city."
The members of the Public Safety Commission voted unanimously to confirm Officer Warnix as a police officer. After the vote, Officer Warnix was sworn in to his oath of office by City Attorney Jonathan Bledsoe.
Officer Warnix is a 2005 graduate of Southeast Whitfield High School. Before joining the police department late last year and enrolling in the Georgia Public Safety Training Center's police academy class, he worked in the carpet industry. Most recently, he worked for Lancer Enterprises.
Officer Warnix's training continues now with the Dalton Police Department's field training program, in which he will take part in a "mini-Academy" at the department before riding with a series of mentor training officers who must sign off on his readiness before he earns solo status as a patrol officer.