New Hires Bring Huntington Police Department to Full Staff
HUNTINGTON – Mason Satterthwaite and Jeron Mason took their Oaths of Office during a September 21 ceremony at the Huntington City-Township Public Library, becoming the Huntington Police Department’s 36th and 37th sworn officers. The hirings fill HPD’s final openings to bring it to full staffing.
“It’s a very exciting day for the Huntington Police Department,” Police Chief Cory Boxell said. “I don’t think we have been to full staff in about 15-plus years.”
The hiring process for both Satterthwaite and Mason began about six months ago to fill openings created by recent retirements from the force. The thorough vetting candidates undergo helps ensure that the best officers are hired to serve and protect Huntington.
Mason Satterthwaite is a Huntington native and graduate of Huntington North High School. While an injury kept him off the basketball court for the Vikings, he moved into a managerial role that started to develop his love for coaching, Chief Boxell said.
Coaching roles with the Huntington North freshman basketball program and the Junior Vikings have helped Satterthwaite hone his leadership skills. He has also worked with young athletes in the Police Athletic League’s football program and at the Huntington YMCA.
The son of Rod and Tiffany Satterthwaite, he has long held ambition to become a police officer. While still in high school, Satterthwaite enrolled in former Huntington County Sheriff Terry Stoffel’s criminal justice class and volunteered with Shop with a Cop.
When Chief Boxell encountered him as a high schooler, Satterthwaite would ask what it took to serve as a police officer.
“He’d talk to me about being a police officer. I had conversations with his parents about becoming a police officer and how to reach those goals and how to accomplish that,” Chief Boxell said.
Satterthwaite has worked in security since high school while preparing for a career in law enforcement, gaining experience with Allied Security for General Motors and Sweetwater Sound. His brother, Parker, held the ceremonial Bible while Satterthwaite was sworn in on Monday.
Jeron Mason is a graduate of Madison Grant High School in Fairmount, Indiana, where he played three years of varsity football and was the varsity wrestling squad’s team captain. He was also a 10-year 4-H Club member.
Mason’s law enforcement career started when he was hired as a guard at the Indiana State Prison in Pendleton. He has three years’ experience there and recently attained the rank of Sergeant. Adding to his experience, Mason’s father, Jeremy Mason, is an 18-year veteran with the Indiana State Police.
During Monday’s ceremony, Chief Boxell said that Mason showed his commitment and dedication from the very beginning of the hiring process. Following an overnight shift in Pendleton, Mason drove straight to Huntington and was already waiting to perform his agility testing early in the morning before Chief Boxell or Asst. Chief Chris McCutcheon even arrived.
“He drove straight from Pendleton to our parking lot because he was serious enough about participating in our physical agility test that day,” Chief Boxell said. “To me, that speaks volumes.”
Mason and his wife, Zoe, plan to relocate to Huntington with their 2-year-old daughter, Wrenlee. Zoe held the ceremonial Bible as Mason took the Oath of Office.
The next step for both Satterthwaite and Mason will be enrolling in the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. They’ll begin training and instruction there in January.
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