The city of Beloit has welcomed two new officers to it’s police department, Steve Herrera and Christian Pope.

Sarah Lock, the Director of Strategic Communications, says that because these are lateral transfers they don’t need to go through the academy and in turn can get on the streets right away.

Lock also says that these new hires will help an understaffed department that has some officers working every day of the week and will be able to get into the community quicker to develop important relationships with community members.

Pope and Herrera were sworn in at the end of June.