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| Westland officials welcomed four new officers and celebrated the promotion of two veterans to the rank of sergeant during the promotional ceremony. |
Department and city officials welcomed four new officers to the ranks and celebrated the promotions of two veteran officers to the rank of sergeant.
Chaim Kozak is now a sergeant with the department. Kozak rgrew up in Westland and enlisted in the Marine Corps following high school. He served four years as an infantrymen and deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. In Afghanistan, he was awarded letter of achievement for combat actions, Meritorious Unit Citation and the Combat Action Ribbon. He was then deployed to Iraq where he earned the Navy Unit citation, Combat Action Ribbon with a gold star and Purple Heart for combat actions.
After his enlistment, he attended Schoolcraft College and earned an associate's degree in criminal justice. Kozak attended the Eastern Kentucky Police Academy. He started his law enforcement career as a deputy for Boyd County Sheriff's Department in eastern Kentucky. In September 2013, Kozak returned home to Westland and joined the city department. Since 2013, Kozak has been a member of the Westland Tactical Response Unit, Honor Guard Team member, CISM Team member, firearms instructor and a field-training officer. Kozak truly excelled while working as a community police officer, officials said. During that time, he developed the “Day for You' event for special needs children.Thomas Lawson has also been promoted to the rank of sergeant. He grew up in Taylor and graduated from Taylor Center High School. After high school, he enlisted in the US Army serving 3 years as a tract vehicle mechanic obtaining the rank of Specialist (E-4). He deployed to Panama during the Cuban Refugee Crisis for which he received a Humanitarian Award for Service. He earned an associates degree in criminal justice from Wayne County Community College. He graduated from the Detroit Police Academy in 2001 and served the City of Detroit as an officer for three years. He was hired as a Westland Police Officer in 2004 and has been assigned to patrol. He is a crime scene evidence technician, Glock armorer, Field Training Officer, a member of the perimeter rifle team, and is still a member of the Westland Police Honor Guard Team.
The Westland Police Department also welcomed four new police officers to the force who were officially sworn in during the Promotional Ceremony just before the city council meeting on Monday, March 21.
Officer Jacob Berkowitz is one of the new officers. He is a native of Omaha, Nebraska and is an avid hockey fan and player. He moved to Minnesota at age 16 to play junior hockey. Berkowitz moved to Michigan and enrolled in the Detroit Police Academy. He served in Detroit for seven months before transitioning to the City of Westland.
Officer Casey York is a lifelong resident of Westland and a graduate of John Glenn High School. He started his law enforcement career in 2013 with the Detroit Police Department where he has been serving for the past eight years. While working in Detroit, he was assigned to patrol division, special operations, gang intelligence and the special response unit. York is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree from Cleary University and plans to have it completed in May 2022.
Officer Chelsea Gilbert also grew up in Westland and is also a graduate of John Glenn High School. With a psychology degree from Eastern Michigan University, Gilbert started her law enforcement career in 2019 with the Detroit Police Department where she has been serving for the past 2 years. Born in a law enforcement family, her grandfather and her father both served the Detroit Police Department. In addition, her stepbrother, Reed Zielinkski, is also a Westland Police Officer
Officer Nicholas Edney grew up in Garden City and attended Garden City High School. Committing to Concordia University in Ann Arbor on a football scholarship, he received an associates degree in criminal justice. In 2020, he graduated from the Detroit Police Academy and has since served in the Detroit Police Department 8th precinct. While in Detroit, he was trained as a shot spotter, firearms inspector and interdiction of illicit drugs and weapons.
“Throughout the country law enforcement agencies are struggling with police recruitment. Standing here today, I am proud to say that we are still able to attract quality candidates. You can clearly see that after hearing the bios on each of our new hires and our promoted sergeants.
“Another common factor is how so many of our police hires grew up locally. That says a lot for our community. Over the years, we have seen a large number of new police officers come to Westland from other agencies because they grew up here. We have seen that in our police department, our fire department, city council and even the mayor who grew up in Westland and went to John Glenn. This goes to show the importance of programs such as the Explorers and the PSA program. With those programs, we are helping develop future Westland Police Officers,” said Chief of Police Jeff Jedrusik.
