CENTERVILLE—The police department has a new officer, bringing the city’s complement to 20 officers and filling the last vacancy. On Aug. 2, Lt. Allen Ackerson introduced Officer Justin Cyr to Mayor Clark Wilkinson and the members of the city council.

Cyr, who is originally from upstate New York, began the first of his shifts the last week of August. He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Hartwood College. He and his wife Amy “decided to come west and just chose Utah to settle,” Ackerson said.

Cyr wanted to go into law enforcement and initially chose to serve in the highway patrol. He worked as a UHP trooper in the Green River area for two years after moving to Utah.

“He spent a lot of time doing rural police work, dealing with criminal laws and not just traffic,” Ackerson said. 

Cyr transferred to the Davis County sheriff’s office a year ago. While there, he spent most of his time “doing traffic and not the criminal side,” Ackerson said. “He had a good relationship with several of our officers and I think they recruited him. He wanted to come over here and it worked out well.”

Since Centerville police officers always take the standard Oath of Office (as outlined in the Utah Constitution) on their first day of service, Police Chief Paul Child wrote an Oath of Honor for new officers when they are ceremonially welcomed into the department.

That evening, after Amy Cyr pinned his badge on her husband, Ackerson administered the Oath of Honor to him. The oath reads:

“On my honor, I will never betray my integrity, my character, or the public trust. I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for our actions. I will always maintain the highest ethical standards and uphold the values of my community and the agency I serve.”

Mayor Clark Wilkinson then welcomed Cyr to the city.

“Officer Cyr, we’re thrilled to have you,” he said. “I know it was a process we went through to be able to find you; we’re grateful to have you.”

“My first introduction to Officer Cyr was an action that he took not against me but for me,” Wilkinson said of his first interaction with Cyr while getting a trailer registered.

Cyr is working in the patrol division, handling calls for service. The Cyrs enjoy spending time with their cats and dogs when they are not working.

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