IRVINE : 7 New Officers Join Police Department

Seven new officers joined the Police Department at a swearing-in ceremony this week.

The new officers increase the number of sworn officers in the city to 123--seven officers shy of the 130 that would bring the department to full strength, said Police Chief Charles S. Brobeck.

The City Council has expressed its desire to fill the department’s seven remaining vacancies by the end of the year.

Brobeck said that the increased staffing will bolster the department’s investigative units. During the staff shortage, investigators were transferred to street duty in an effort to avoid reductions in the number officers on patrol.

“It’s going help us get back on track,” Brobeck said.

The new officers are:

* Allan Sokyra, a former San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy.

* Robert Pickowitz, a former reserve firefighter with the Cathedral City Fire Department and security officer for Westin Hills Resort.

* Nicola Erb, who worked for the University of California.

* Julia Engen, who has worked as a civilian employee at the Orange County jail. She attended the Orange County sheriff’s academy.

* Randy Lack, a former Los Angeles police officer. He holds a degree from Cal State Fullerton.

* Jeff Van Der Sluys Veer, who worked for the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department.

* Jane Fratus, a civilian traffic investigator for the Irvine Police Department since 1986.