New Wayland Police Officer Sworn In Monday Night

The Board of Selectmen's meeting room Monday night could barely hold all of the family and friends who turned out to witness Wayland's newest police officer, Lynnet Sloan's, swearing in ceremony.

Wayland Town Clerk Lois Toombs conducted the ceremony after Sloan's mother, Linda Sloan, and nephew, Angelo Venuto, proudly pinned the new officer.

"She's a great kid," Linda Sloan said later with tears in her eyes. "I'm just so proud."

Linda Sloan said her daughter, now 24, deciding to become a police officer didn't come as a surprise.

"She's been doing this since she was 10 years old," Linda Sloan said, explaining that her daughter got involved with the Southborough police kids program at that time. From there, she continued to pursue "junior" law enforcement activities, including rising to the rank of lieutenant in the Explorers program offered by Southborough Police.

From there, the Ashland American Legion funded Sloan's stint in the Student Trooper Program offered through the Massachusetts State Police Academy in New Braintree. The one-week "mini-academy" course, according the academy's website, is "an intensive course patterned after the actual recruit class."

Lynnet Sloan was selected to join the Wayland Police Department in May, according to a press release from Wayland Police Chief Robert Irving. She has spent the past six months completing her training at the .

Irving said during his comments at Sloan's swearing in that the academy Sloan attended is one of the most difficult in the state. "It has a fairly stringent curriculum, and she did a fine job of getting through it," he told selectmen.

Sloan has an associate's degree in criminal justice from Massachusetts Bay Community College and is a resident of Southborough.

Sloan brings the strength of the Wayland Police roster to 21 of its approved 22 officers. Irving told selectmen he is in the process of working through the Massachusetts Civil Service system to hire the 22nd officer.