DPD Introduces Rookie Officer

Tuesday, September 24th, 2024

The Dalton Police Department introduced its newest officer Tuesday morning at the meeting of the Dalton Public Safety Commission. Officer Markoz Garcia graduated from the police academy last Friday. 

Caption: New DPD officer Markoz Garcia poses with Chief Cliff Cason (right) after being presented before the Dalton Public Safety Commission

Officer Garcia is a 2021 graduate of Dalton High School. For the past two years before joining the DPD, he worked for the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice as a juvenile correctional officer. 

"So, he's already got his foot in the door of law enforcement," Chief Cason said Tuesday while introducing him to the commission. "He understands some of the difficult individuals we sometimes get to work with." 

Even though he has graduated from the police academy, his training is just beginning. This week, Garcia will take part in the Dalton Police Department's "mini-academy" training program and then he will begin the field training program. In that program, he will spend the next several months riding with a series of experienced mentor officers until he is deemed ready to operate on his own as a solo officer.