PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Police Department is close to having a full force after some recent hires.
With the recent hiring of four officers, PAPD now has 30 of 32 authorized commissioned officers, said Sgt. Jason Viada.
Officers T.J. Mueller, Steffen Estep, J.J. Smith and Zac Moore were sworn in to the force during the past few months.
Moore, Estep and Smith also will be college students while beginning their careers at the department.
Mueller, a petty officer in the Coast Guard Reserve, recently returned from deployment to Cuba and was recognized for helping apprehend a criminal in Germany.
Estep of Sequim was previously an officer with the Elwha Tribal Police Department.
Smith previously worked at Olympic Medical Center and is a firearms instructor.
Moore, a baseball coach, started with the department Oct. 10 and was already a city employee who worked maintaining Civic Field.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsula dailynews.com.