Seven brand new police officers are set to hit the streets of Port Arthur.

The officers, Cody Gore, Eryn Fair, Dillan Halliburton, Donald Stimson, Daniel Summers, Isaiah Seltzer and Eugene Summage took the oath of office in front of family, friends and fellow officers in city council chambers on Wednesday.

“You’ve become part of a close-knit family that extends beyond the city, the state and the nation,” Port Arthur Police Deputy Chief Michael Fratus said as he looked across the row of seven.

Newly pinned Officer Eryn Fair said the reason she wanted to become a police officer may sound a bit generic.

“I’ve always wanted to be an officer,” Fair said while surrounded by her children after the event. “And I want to help the community.”

A career goal is to one day become a homicide detective.

New Officer Dillan Halliburton was also surrounded by family and loved ones following the ceremony.

“I’ve always wanted to be a cop since I was a child,” Halliburton said. “I started in the Marine Corps and want to continue to serve my country.”

Halliburton’s mother Tina and grandmother Sandra Wolfe were a mixed bag of emotions — excited, nervous and proud, they said.

 

 

 

Some info on the new officers

• Officer Cody Gore was born in Huntsville and his father worked for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice so the family moved around early in his life.

He later moved to Groves and graduated from Port Neches-Groves High School and went to earn an associate of Science degree from Lamar State College Port Arthur. He previously worked as a surgical technician and fire technician before moving into law enforcement.

• Officer Eryn Fair was born in Houston and graduated Bellaire High School in 2010. She strives to one day be a detective with the police department’s major crimes unit.

 

• Dillan Halliburton was raised in Port Acres. He went to school in Sabine Pass and after graduation he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. His primary job was to be a heavy equipment mechanic. Once deployed to Bahrain, he was also a security augment and later selected to the 3^rd Marine Aircraft Wing Commanding general’s personal driver.

He hopes to one day become a K9 handler for the PAPD.

• Officer Donald Stimson was born in Port Arthur and later moved and grew up in Port Aransas.

He joined the U.S. Air Force and served in the 388 Component Maintenance Squadron as an avionics backshop technician on the F-16. While in the Air Force he was also deployed to Balad, Iraq.

Following the 6-year stint in the Air Force he joined the U.S. Coast Guard and was stationed in several different areas.

• Officer Daniel Summers is a native of upstate New York and served 13 years in the Coast Guard Reserve. He is a 2013 graduate of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Academy and worked for the sheriff’s office as a jailer and patrol deputy.

He most recently served with the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office as a narcotics investigator and dual-purpose canine handler.

He graduated from Liberty University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and holds certifications as a field training officer and instructor.

• Officer Isaiah Seltzer was born in Port Arthur and graduated from Memorial High School in 2015 where he played football, baseball and excelled in choir.

He studied audio engineering for a year at Lamar State College Port Arthur before decided to start his career with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

He went through the academy and worked at the Mark W. Stiles Unit in Beaumont as a correctional officer. In 2018 he graduated from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Academy and is a licensed peace officer.

In addition he is involved in the community, is a musician and has served in many different churches throughout the city.

• Officer Eugene Summage is a 2001 graduate of West Brook High School in Beaumont where he played football all four years. He has worked as a correctional officer for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for the past 11 ½ years.

He applied with the Sheriff’s Academy in 2018 and graduated eight months later.

Promotions

In addition to the officers taking part in the oath of office there were two officers who were promoted during the ceremony; Jonathan Green was promoted to the rank of sergeant and Scott Argo was promoted to the rank of lieutenant.

Green has been with the department since 2008 and Argo since 1998.

Staffing

PAPD Chief Tim Duriso has worked to get the police force back up to full staffing since he was hired last August and even with the seven new officers; they are still short by six.

“We are working toward full staffing and more, qualified applicants to fill the remaining vacancies,” Duriso said in a statement before the ceremony.

Full staff equates to 104 officers, 15 sergeants, eight lieutenants, three deputy chiefs and one chief.