City police swear in eight to replace retired officers

Reversing a recent trend of layoffs, the Spokane Police Department swore in eight officers Friday to replace several employees who retired.

One of the officers, 27-year-old Trevor Nollmeyer, was laid off in December 2004. He had moved and was working for the Tacoma Police Department but has returned to the job opportunity in Spokane, police spokesman Cpl. Tom Lee said.

Acting Chief Jim Nicks welcomed Nollmeyer and the other officers at a 1 p.m. ceremony. They are:

•Rurik Pitstick, 30, who has lived in Spokane most of his life. He has a master’s degree in criminal justice from Washington State University.

•Shaidon Storch, 22, was born and raised in Spokane. Most recently, Storch worked at Geiger Corrections Center.

•John Elam, 28, has lived in Spokane most of his life. A former Marine, Elam previously worked as a corrections deputy at the Spokane County Jail.

•Todd Rosengrant, 28, is another Spokane native. He has worked at Geiger and Airway Heights Corrections Center.

•Ron VanTassel, 25, has been working as a reserve officer for three years and was voted Reserve Officer of the Year in 2004. VanTassel most recently was working as a security officer for Wal-Mart.

•Samuel Magee, 26, comes to Spokane from the Othello Police Department. He has a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from WSU.

•Deanna Schmidt, 29, has been employed at Spokane International Airport Police Department for two years. A former reserve officer, Schmidt also has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from WSU.