Residents in Lathrop will soon see two new faces patrolling the streets of the community they call home.

In the last week the Lathrop Police Department announced the arrival of two new patrol officers that will bolster its ranks – both of whom are lateral transfers from nearby agencies.

Officer Carlos Lerma, who has served the City of Ripon for the last two years as a police officer, is one of the newest names on the roster of the Lathrop Police Department. Lerma started his career in law enforcement as an explorer for the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department before he was hired fulltime at Ripon.

Joining him on the force will be Officer Sonny Purewal, who has spent the last three years as part of the Stanislaus State Police Department in Turlock where he served as a part of the bicycle and critical response units. Prior to working at Stanislaus State, Purewal spent three years as a patrol officer in nearby Modesto.

Both officers represent part of the agency’s ongoing effort to hire lateral officers that already have the certification and training necessary to be a peace officer in California – making them eligible to hit the streets on patrol almost immediately.

Earlier this year the agency added another pair of officers as part of the five additional positions that were added to create flexibility on the various shifts – eliminating the need for mandatory overtime to cover off and vacation days for sworn staff. Once those five positions are added, Lathrop will have 40 sworn officers for a city of nearly 33,000 individuals.

To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell, email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.