Staff Reports
North Vernon Police Department Officers Seth Beville and Lucas Newsom recently completed honor guard training that will help the department launch a color guard.
Beville and Newsom attended the Goshen Police Department Honor Guard School, where they received training on marching, representation of the colors and line-of-duty-death funeral procedures. The Goshen Honor Guard School has instructed police and firefighters from across the United States, according to a news release.
“The school was not only physically demanding but mentally demanding as well. There were days where we were given a drill and were expected to perform it perfectly a few short hours later. These drills were not always easy since it required us to work with and synchronize our movement with four to six other officers,” Beville said in the release.
“I am excited to get the other officers trained so that we can demonstrate our new skills.”
North Vernon Police Department’s guard team is both a color and honor guard, Beville said. When the team is carrying or presenting the national colors, it is a color guard. When the team is working a funeral in a line-of-duty death, it is an honor guard.
“The idea of an honor guard came to be because the NVPD did not have a dedicated team to perform the tasks of a full honors funeral or to present the colors. We wanted a team so that we could offer that service to any of our officers should they fall in the line of duty,” Beville said. “Forming our team has partly to do with community involvement, such as parades and presenting at the local high school games. It is very important to us as a department to be seen and a part of our community.”
The North Vernon Police Department Color Guard is scheduled to debut at the city’s Christmas parade Nov. 28.
Other members of the department have volunteered to serve on the color guard and will receive training.
