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# Four new officers sworn in at Santa Monica Police Department's first ceremony under Chief Jackman
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/new-police-chief-instructs-smpd-officers-on-merits-and-symbolism-of-wearing-a-badge-new-cops-on-the-block/
- Published: 2007-01-09T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T23:40:58.000Z
- Author: Melody Hanatani
- Tags: Crime, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*Officers to keep the beat*

CITY HALL — Four new police officers were sworn into the Santa Monica Police Department on Monday during Timothy Jackman’s first ceremony as the chief of Santa Monica.

The new officers — Dean Hodges, 31, Joseph Cortez, 23, Noelle White, 31, and Luis Armendariz, 24 — took their oaths at a ceremony in City Council Chambers, where more than 30 people from the department welcomed their new junior colleagues.

The new officers appeared excited to join the force and to serve and protect the residents of Santa Monica. For many, being a police officer was a childhood aspiration.

Hodges, of Tarzana, wanted to be a police officer like his father. As an officer with Santa Monica, he aspires to involve children and families more in the community. He chose Santa Monica because “it’s a strong community that has positive results and a good foundation.”

Hodges has worked with the LAPD since 2002\. White came all the way from Maryland, serving as a police officer for the Montgomery National Capitol Park Police for six years before making her way to Santa Monica.

“I thought it was a good department to work for,” White said. “I wanted to travel from coast to coast.”

Armendariz, of South Gate, wanted a career where he could wake up every day and PD PAYDAY, from page 3 feel good about himself.

“I checked the other departments and the way this department interacted with the community was very admirable.”

Before he read the code of ethics, Jackman gave the new officers and the veterans in the department a lesson about the importance of the badge — that it’s more than a shiny and flashy piece of metal, Jackman said as he proudly held up his own new SMPD badge. The badge is full of symbolism — the weight represents the expectations that society has of the officers and the seal represents the residents that the officers are served to protect.

The new chief has awarded more than 400 badges in his career. Jackman talked about how police officers are portrayed as the good guys in the movies. Unfortunately, there is also a perception of police officers as being the bad guys, with the badge being a sign of oppression.

“I never forget that \[we are the good guys\] and I never want you to forget that we are the good guys,” Jackman said.

He asked the officers to reflect and remember why they are police officers every time they pin the badge to their uniform.

“This has been my life for the past 23 and a half years,” Jackman said. “I take this responsibility very deeply.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 9, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/010907.pdf?ref=smdp.com)