New Madison Police officers take Oath of Honor
MPD Officer Chris Edwards was pinned Monday by his mother Michelle and brother Michael. CONTRIBUTED
New Madison Police officer Adam Harmon with his family after the pinning ceremony. CONTRIBUTED
New MPD officer Ryan Parris was pinned by his finance Kerstin. CONTRIBUTED
MADISON – Four new officers to the Madison Police Department ceremoniously took their oath of honor Monday evening at the Madison City Council meeting.
Mitchell Stease, Chris Edwards, Adam Harmon and Ryan Parris were officially welcomed into the police department after completing police academy training recently.
“The oath is a promise of not only doing your job, but doing it well to the best of your ability and being a loyal employee while serving the public trust,” Madison Police Chief David Jernigan said before the new officers took their oaths and were pinned.
Jernigan also said the badge is not just an easy recognizable sign of legal authority. “Uniformed police officers proudly wear their badges to show their allegiance to the communities they serve and the pride they have in their profession.”
Stease, a Bob Jones High School graduate, had already been working for the Madison Police Department in the records division before going to the Academy and becoming an officer. He also serves as a military policeman in the Alabama National Guard.
“He received two awards while in the academy,” Chief Jernigan said. “He received the top gun award, which goes to the best recruit on the firing range and the commander’s award for leadership.”
Stease and his wife Katie have a two-month-old son, who was born while he was in the police academy.
He was pinned by his former Air Force JROTC instructor at Bob Jones, Chief Ellis Clark.
Edwards is a Sparkman High School graduate and a graduate of Marion Military Institute. He is also a 2019 graduate from the University of Alabama with a criminal justice degree with a minor in cyber-crime.
Chris was pinned by his brother Michael.
Adam Harmon is another Bob Jones High School graduate. He also graduate with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and earth science systems from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He was a student athlete in track and field.
“He worked his way through college in the family landscaping business where his father was the boss, so I think that was pretty tough,” Chief Jernigan said.
Harmon was pinned by his wife Anna, who is a teacher in Madison City Schools.
Ryan Parris is a James Clemens High School where he was known for his achievements on the football field.
He graduated last year from the University of Alabama as a criminal justice major. He was a special teams long snapper on the football team while at UA.
Parris was pinned by his fiancée Kerstin.
