The Plant City Police Department grew on Friday, March 27, as four officers were sworn in on premises that afternoon.
Paul Snider, Vince Wise, Billy Harvester and Dylan Cowart are the newest additions to the police force, and Police Chief Ed Duncan didn’t hesitate to let the officers know how valued they are.
“Do not think for one minute that we took your applications lightly,” Duncan said to the men. “I have high expectations for all of you, and I’m confident that you will exceed them.”
Of the four officers, Snider has the most experience in public safety. He spent much of the last 11 years with Polk County Fire Rescue, working as a paramedic, and comes to Plant City after one year with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. He decided to come to Plant City to escape the big city life in St. Petersburg.
“I live in Walden Lake,” Snider says. “Love the area. I think it’s great that it’s a small community – I like that better. I grew up in a big city, and wasn’t interested in being in a big city anymore.”
Wise, who has family in Plant City, comes from Atlanta, Georgia after five years with the City of Atlanta Police Department. Before then, he did not work in the public safety field.
He chose to come to Plant City to be closer to the people he loves, and to settle down and raise a family without the hustle and bustle of Atlanta.
“My parents live here,” Wise says. “I’ve got friends and family here, and it’s a great place to raise a child. I’ve got a 10-year-old little girl.”
Harvester, a Tampa native, spent the last 10 years working for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. He worked in the communications bureau, as a civilian, and decided to switch gears last summer.
“I left in July, went to the police academy, and here I am now,” he says.
He chose to come to Plant City for several reasons, and couldn’t be more excited to begin his career as a police officer in the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World.
“I was ready to come over here to a smaller agency,” Harvester says. “The chief is phenomenal, and I know some good guys that work over here. They can’t talk highly enough about the agency, so I thought it was a great place to start.”
Cowart is the only Plant City native of the bunch. At 21, he’s also the youngest member of the group.
After completing police academy, Cowart served as a deputy with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office for 10 months. He chose to come to Plant City because it just seemed like the right thing for him to do.
“I was born and raised in Plant City,” he says. “My whole family lives here. I wanted to come to Plant City and give back to my community.”
Cowart is looking forward to being a part of the PCPD family, and to making a difference in the town where it all began for him.
