Behind the Badge
If there was a theme to the Tustin Police Department’s recent swearing in and promotion ceremony, it could be summed up by the comments Chief Charlie Celano delivered just before introducing two recently hired officers and announcing the promotions of three others.
“We love welcoming new blood into our family,” Celano said during a brief ceremony held July 19 in City Council Chambers. “Promotions are very special to us. I know change can be unsettling, as we lose great leadership with every retirement, but what is really encouraging is that we have some great folks coming up through the ranks.”
Deputy Chief Jeff Blair receives his new badge from his family during a promotion and swearing-in ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
Officer Josh Schlesinger, a lifelong Tustin resident who started his law enforcement career as a Tustin Police Explorer, was sworn in as one of the agency’s newest officers.
Schlesinger graduated from Beckman High School in 2014 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from UC Irvine in 2017.
Tustin Police Department’s new Deputy Chief, Jeff Blair, talks about the community of Tustin during a promotion and swearing-in ceremony at the Tustin Community Center. Tustin Police Chief Charles Celano is behind him, right.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
He advanced from Explorer to Cadet to recruit and graduated from the Golden West Criminal Justice Training Center.
Officer David Akers, a lateral hire from the Los Angeles Port Police, graduated from the Los Angeles Police Academy in 2017.
“Everybody has been very welcoming,” Akers said. “It’s the most welcomed I’ve felt at any job.”
Tustin Police Chief Charles Celano, left, congratulates Lt. Ryan Coe on his promotion.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
The first promotion of the ceremony was to Scott Wright who was promoted to Sergeant. Wright was hired by the Tustin Police Department as a recruit in 2007 and has worked patrol, as a school resource officer, and as a field training officer.
Wright graduated from Tustin High School in 1994 and earned a degree from Chapman University.
Sgt. Scott Wright hugs his daughters before receiving his new sergeant’s badge during Tustin Police Department’s promotion and swearing-in ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
“We really put a lot of hope and a lot of faith in our sergeants,” Celano said. “Sergeants drive the culture. The sergeants are out there in the field with our officers.”
Next up was Ryan Coe, who was promoted from sergeant to lieutenant. Coe was hired by the Tustin Police Department as a recruit in 2005 and has worked in patrol, investigations, and the traffic unit. He was promoted to sergeant in 2013 and was assigned to the traffic unit in 2015.
Sgt. Scott Wright, right, points out his family members to Tustin Police Chief Charles Celano before receiving his new sergeant’s badge during Tustin Police Department’s promotion and swearing-in ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
Coe also served as military police in the Air Force before becoming a police officer.
“I promise that I will continue with my determination, my hard drive, and my positive attitude for many years to come,” Coe said.
The final promotion of the ceremony was for Jeff Blair. Blair was being promoted from captain to deputy chief, a job Celano called “one of the most critical positions in the department.”
Officer David Akers, right, who is lateraling from another agency, introduces his family to Tustin Police Chief Charles Celano before receiving his badge.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
“It is my right-hand man,” Celano said. “It’s the person who not only fully supports my vision but does everything possible to try and implement that vision and keep everybody moving in the same direction, including the day-to-day operations.”
Celano, who recently announced his own retirement, noted that a deputy chief serves as a chief’s accountability partner, who will not always agree with his decisions.
Officer David Akers receives his new Tustin police badge from his father during a Tustin Police Department promotion and swearing-in ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
“You need people who are going to tell you and challenge you and ask you, is this really the way you want to go?” Celano said. “I have no doubt that this man is going to continue that tradition and be that type of support, not just for me, but for the next chief coming in.”
Hired by the Tustin Police Department in 1989, Blair also has deep roots in the community.
Born and raised in the city of Tustin, Josh Schlesinger, Tustin Police Department’s newest officer, talks about how he started as an explorer, a cadet, and then a recruit for the Tustin Police Department.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
Blair graduated from Tustin High School in 1986 and went through the Orange County Sheriff’s Academy. He was promoted to sergeant in 2003, to lieutenant in 2013, and to captain in 2017.
“I walked through these doors as a 20-year-old kid and was handed this amazing career,” Blair said. “This is where I grew up. Our relationship with the community is amazing. I never take that for granted. I love being a police officer, but more importantly, I love being a Tustin police officer.”
With Tustin Police Chief Charles Celano behind him, Deputy Chief Jeff Blair talks about how it’s been an honor to serve the Tustin community for 29 years as he accepts his promotion as Tustin Police Department’s new deputy chief during a promotion and swearing-in ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
