New recruit Floyd (TJ) Patterson Jr. was sworn in by Mayor Boone Bowling as a police officer for the City of Middlesboro on Tuesday at City Hall.

Officer TJ Patterson received his badge from Poloce Chief Petie Gilbert and will be leaving this Sunday evening to attend the Department of Criminal Justice Basic Law Enforcement Police Academy located on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond. The academy is a 20 week course that consists of patrol procedures, physical training, vehicle operations, defensive tactics, criminal law, traffic and DUI, firearms, criminal investigations and tactical response to crisis situations.