Westminster PD welcomed five new employees in August — three recruits who recently graduated from the Golden West College Police Academy and two lateral hires who transferred from other agencies. The new hires are part of the agency’s larger recruitment strategy emphasizing the need for more officers while setting the bar high in terms of the quality of employees. The three academy graduates were awarded honors for top recruit in the class, class chaplain and a character award. They were in the top 10 of their class. “We swept the academy in awards,” said Acting Police Chief Mark Lauderback during…