Wilkes-Barre Police Department swears in three new officers

WILKES-BARRE — Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown, as well as members of city council and the police department, welcomed three new police officers Wednesday during a ceremony at City Hall.

Paul Sromovski, 28; Jonathan Mason, 28; and John Owens, 27; were sworn in before friends and family inside city council chambers.

The new officers were all recent graduates of the Act 120 Police Academy at Lackawanna College.

“These men have gone through a rigorous selection process on their journey to becoming officers for the city,” Police Chief Joseph Coffey in his opening remarks.

The new officers bring a variety of experience and education to the department.

Sromovski was born and raised in Wilkes-Barre and is a 2015 graduate of the former Meyers High School. He is a military veteran, having spent four years in the Marine Corps. and previously worked as a correctional officer at SCI Waymart.

Mason was born in New York State and raised in Scranton. Mason is a graduate of Penn State University, with a bachelor’s degree in Administration of Justice and interned at the Wilkes-Barre City Police Department while in college.

Previously, he worked in the Lackawanna County Drug, Probation, Parole and Juvenile Probation departments.

Owens resides in Wilkes-Barre and is a 2016 graduate of the former Coughlin High School. Owens has an associate degree in general studies from Luzerne County Community College. He was previously a service manager at Goodyear Commercial Tire and Service Center.

Before administering the oath of office, Brown said he was honored to swear in more of “Wilkes-Barre’s finest.”

“Wilkes-Barre Police Department is the best in the state, and you prove it every day and every single day. I’m proud of what you do,” the mayor said.

Brown promised the three new officers that they would have the best training and equipment, along with the support of the mayor and the police chief.

Brown also shared an anecdote with the crowd, which he felt summed up the impact the department has on the community.

“I just ran out trying to grab a hamburger, and on my way out, I received a phone call from a friend of mine, and she was crying,” he said.

His friend was in a car accident the previous day, and told the mayor she was “so appreciative” for how the responding officer took control of the scene.

“When I hear these things as a mayor,” he said, “it makes me so darn proud of what you folks do.”