The UCF Police Department officially welcomed three new officers to its force this week.

Family, friends, fellow UCFPD staff, and members of the community witnessed the new officers be sworn in Thursday, March 31.

“This is the most important thing that I do,” said UCFPD Chief Richard Beary. “Without this oath of office, you can’t go out and do the job that you need to do. At this time in history, it’s even more critical that the public understands what that oath of office means and even more critical that you understand what the oath of office means and how important it is to the community we serve.”

The new additions will take UCFPD’s sworn total to 72 officers.

The officers-in-training started the classroom portion of their training in February and have one more week left. Then they’ll be paired with an officer from the patrol division to experience field training on the roads. Each officer will be assigned to patrol once their training is completed.

Meet the Officers

  • Jean “John” Quiles is an Air Force veteran who served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He’s served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves since 2011. Originally from Orlando, Quiles previously worked for seven years as an officer for the Windermere Police Department. Quiles says he’s looking forward to “interacting with the diverse population on campus.”
  • Maurice Thompson joins UCFPD following two years as a deputy sheriff at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Originally from San Diego, Thompson is looking forward to furthering his education at UCF. “I have always admired UCF Police Department’s dedication to keeping the students safe,” Thompson said. “I would love to be a part of making that happen.”
  • Dan Ryley is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in the Persian Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Ryley became a First Sergeant in the Marines in 1993 and later worked as a range safety officer at a local gun range. He is looking forward to becoming a part of UCFPD team because he wants to be “a part of an organization dedicated to protecting our future, the children and the future leaders of America.”

    • UCFPD anticipates continued growth, and another application window will open in April for new officers expected to start in July.

    To learn more about job opportunities with UCF Police, visit https://police.ucf.edu/recruiting.