Five New Officers Join MPD

By BOBBIE GREEN

The Progress

Blue pride was showing in the Mesquite City Council Chambers on Wednesday evening, Jan. 10 as five new police officers were being sworn into the Mesquite Police Department by Chief MaQuade Chesley.

Of the five officers, David Halsey and Daniel Esquivel are experienced corrections officers coming from Ely State Prison.

Among the three experienced police officers Ronald Matik, Christopher Hopson, and Marcelo Lara, Lara is home-grown. He graduated from Virgin Valley High School and has been working with the Las Vegas Police Department.

Lara told the Progress, “I am very happy to be returning home to Mesquite, this is where I want to be.”
Officer Matik came from Long Beach, Calif., and Officer Hopson hails from Nye County, Nev.

There was a small crowd to welcome the officers, mostly family, friends, current Mesquite police officers and City officials.

Mesquite Officer Chris Rowley explained about Mesquite Police Department hiring procedures, including how purposely difficult they make it for recruits to weed out insincere and not fully dedicated officers. Each recruit must be a good fit for the Mesquite Department, he said.

Chief Chesley told the new recruits what to expect from the department, specifying the four pillars that the Mesquite Police Department lives by: professionalism, public relations, proactive policing, and accountability. He reminded the recruits that each day they put on their uniforms and badges, they must remember that they represent their own family name, the MPD and its good reputation, and police officers everywhere in the nation.

After the swearing-in, a member of each officer’s family was able to pin on their new badges; Officer Matik’s 8-year-old-son proudly pinned on his badge.

Mayor Al Litman shook hands with each officer and said, “Welcome to what I believe is the finest police department in the nation.”

Sgt. Wyatt Oliver said, “The department is close to full staffing now, with only a few positions left to fill.”