Erie’s police force keeps getting younger.
And more diverse.
Erie Mayor Joe Schember on Friday swore in four men and one woman as the newest members of the Erie Bureau of Police, filling vacancies created by retirements, including two retirements from September, Police Chief Dan Spizarny said.
The new hires bring the Erie Bureau of Police to its full complement of 194 officers.
Sworn in on Friday were:
Ryan VanTassel, 33. VanTassel is an Erie native who recently graduated from the Mercyhurst University Municipal Police Training Academy. He previously worked for the Sprinkler Fitters Union and is a member of the U.S. Army National Guard.
Erich Semelka, 34. Semelka is a graduate of Northwestern High School and Gannon University who recently graduated from the police academy. He previously worked for Erie County Adult Probation as a probation officer.
Denis Kohanevich, 24. Kohanevich was born in Ukraine and came to the United States in 2000. He is a graduate of McDowell High School and the police academy and most recently served as a police officer for UPMC Hamot.
James Williams, 32. Williams is a McDowell High School graduate who recently graduated from the police academy. He has served in various capacities in the fire and emergency medical services and also served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves.
Jessica Dahlstrand, 38. Dahlstrand is a graduate of Fairview High School, Mercyhurst North East and Gannon University. She most recently served as a Gannon University police officer for 14 years.
Erie Mayor Joe Schember swears in, from left, Ryan VanTassel, Erich Semelka, Denis Kohanevich, James Williams and Jessica Dahlstrand as the newest members of the Erie Bureau of Police during a ceremony at Erie City Hall on Friday.
The five new officers are the latest brought onto the city police force in recent years.
Improving diversity on force since 2021
There have been 56 new police officers hired since 2021. Of those, 17, or roughly 30%, were minorities, showing that efforts to improve the diversity of the city police force are starting to pay off, Inspector Christopher Janus said during his remarks at Friday’s swearing-in ceremony at Erie City Hall.
The department’s makeup now includes 11 Black males, 10 white females and seven Hispanic males, according to Janus.
Spizarny noted the new hires are a little older, with four of the five in their 30s. But the department overall is young, as the average time on the force per officer is nine years, he said.
“So it’s a very young department you are coming on to,” the chief told the group.
The city is currently taking applications for candidates interested in becoming eligible for the city police bureau’s next hiring list. Applications will be accepted through Sunday, with written and agility testing scheduled for early August.
Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNhahn.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie PA adds five new officers to the city police force