Atwater adds six to police force

Officials at City Hall here Thursday swore in five new police officers and a reserve officer, additions that were made thanks, in part, to Measure H funding.

Chief Frank Pietro said the new hires bring the number of officers in Atwater to 32. Three of those positions are paid through Measure H, a half-cent tax increase for all transactions that passed with a 67.1 percent vote two years ago this month.

Pietro called the day “monumental,” pointing to the number of new boots on the street. “I don’t think we’ve ever sworn in five regulars and one reserve at one time,” he said to a round of applause from a full City Council chamber.

The new officers are Levi Crain, 21, of Merced; Ken Lee, 46, of Stockton; Thomas Niederreuther, 53, of Modesto; and Atwater natives Michael Rivera, 29, and Rod Dash, 49.

A 20-year veteran of the Merced Police Department, Dash has been a controversial hire because he lost his job with that agency in 2010 after he was accused of charging the city of Merced for hours he never worked.

The Merced County District Attorney’s Office prosecuted Dash for the alleged fraud three times, including two mistrials, but he was found not guilty in 2011. Dash tried to get his job back, but was unsuccessful, according to news reports.

Despite never being convicted, he was placed on the so-called Brady list. Brady law forces prosecutors to disclose any information to the court that could potentially affect the outcome of a trial, including evidence that could possibly impeach an officer’s credibility, legal authorities said.

Pietro has said he and the District Attorney’s Office agreed to work with Dash “case by case” and see how things turn out.

Dash declined to comment Thursday on the controversy.

The reserve officer, 30-year-old Michael Friedberg, is also from Atwater.

Mayor Jim Price conducted the swearing in ceremony for all six new hires. He thanked the new officers, as well as the other police in the room, for doing the work they do at all hours of the day and night.

The new hires are not the first addition using Measure H dollars. Atwater’s new firetruck has fueled a heated controversy and divided residents for nearly a year.

Critics say the $890,048 truck is too expensive and the money would have been better spent on hiring more police officers. The city also has been criticized for spending an additional $80,000 on equipment for the new firetruck.

Supporters say the 109-foot ladder truck replaces aging equipment and will help Atwater grow by attracting multistory developments.

Putting new officers to work on Atwater’s streets is something everyone in the city can be happy about, Price said. “Today is the day for the city to stand tall and stand proud,” he said.

The full-time officers’ pay starts at $53,846 annually, which does not include benefits, according to the City Clerk’s Office.

This story was originally published March 19, 2015 at 5:53 PM with the headline "Atwater adds six to police force."