A Tradition of Excellence“ Raise your right hand and repeat after me.” Those are the last words the chief of police says to a new officer before he or she takes the oath of office to become a Pensacola Police Officer. A flood of questions and emotions run through the officer’s brain at that moment: “What am I getting into?” “Am I up for it?” “What is expected of me?” and hundreds more. The cameras, the setting, the friends and family looking on don’t make the answers any clearer! At that moment, the officer is following the time-honored tradition of accepting the responsibility to serve and protect the citizens of Pensacola. The new officer may not know it, but he or she is joining one of the oldest and most historic police departments in the United States.