From left: Lieutenant Andrew Williams, Chief Jim Albers, Assistant Chief Ricky King, and Officer Conner Gilpatrick
May 15, 2024 - The Center Police Department held a promotions ceremony on Monday, May 13 in the training room at the police department.
Center Police Department Chief Jim Albers welcomed everyone, “We are gathered here to promote a couple of guys that’s been with my department a long time. Lieutenant Ricky King is being promoted to Assistant Chief (AC); he’s put in 20 years with this department, I think he has held every rank. He has become like my right hand man and Andrew [Williams] has become his right hand man. They have really jumped into this department’s business and grabbed ahold of it and are doing a wonderful job handling the business of this department and I appreciate it. And that’s why we are promoting them today.”
Denny King pins badge onto her husband, AC Ricky King
Pinning on the badge for Assistant Chief King was his wife Denny King.
Next, AC King then spoke about his history with Sergeant Williams, “I get the honor of presenting to you today a tenure officer who luckily I can also call a close friend. We actually have an extensive history - I sat on the board that hired him in 2015. I voted to add him to this family.” He continued, “I was his first line supervisor, I can honestly say we did work in the trenches together. I recommended him to promote to detective where I also got to supervise him for a little while and I recommended him for patrol sergeant. In every role that we threw at him, he has exceeded and impressed. Nine years and some change later and a few gray hairs… I am privileged to introduce to you the youngest lieutenant in Center PD history, Andrew Williams.” AC King then pinned the Lt. badge onto Williams' uniform.
AC King pins badge for Lt. Williams
“Conner [Gilpatrick] was our fourth cadet that we’ve put through the program,” explained Lt. Williams. “Conner came to us and we put him through the program. He successfully passed the Police Academy and won the P.T. award. I think you are going to do great things here bud and I’m real privileged to have you on board with us."
Lt. Williams then pinned on Officer Gilpatrick's first badge as a new patrol officer.
Lt. Williams pins on badge for Officer Gilpatrick
