TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX) – A couple of changes recently occurred at the Twin Falls Police Department.

Officer Lou Coronado has been promoted to the rank of sergeant, and Sgt. Brent Wright has been promoted to staff sergeant. A ceremony promoting the two law officers was held Monday at the City Council meeting.

“In the policing profession there’s always a couple of great days in the life of a police employee,” said Police Chief Craig Kingsbury, who conducted the ceremony – when an officer is sworn into office and when he or she receives a promotion.

Kingsbury said it was a 'very robust and competitive promotional' process to fill the positions.

This is one of those days, the police chief said. Both law officers have many years of experience in the profession.

Before joining the department in June 2000, Coronado attended Walla Walla Community College in Washington, and the College of Southern Idaho where he graduated in its law enforcement program in 1996. He’s worked as patrol officer, has been assigned to the Strategic Traffic Accident Reduction Team and has been a member of the SWAT Team for the past 13 years. He also at one time worked as a deputy for the Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office.

Wright, who attended the law enforcement program at the College of Southern Idaho and received a certificate of completion in 1998, joined the police department in April 2002. He previously worked as a police officer for the Kimberly Police Department and as a detention officer with the Mini-Cassia Criminal Justice Center. Wright has been a narcotics detective and, among other achievements, he currently is the team leader on the SWAT Team.

Kingsbury said it was a “very robust and competitive promotional” process to fill the positions, but with their years of experience and dedication to the profession, department and community, both Wright and Coronado fit the bill.

The men received their chevrons, or police stripes, from fellow officers during the ceremony.

Firefighters Recognized
Three Twin Falls firefighters also were recognized at the City Council meeting. Jesse Killinger completed his Firefighter Level 1 certification, and Dallas Williamson and Zackery Fleming completed the Twin Falls Drivers Academy.

“He’s a great fit for out department and we’re proud of him,” Battalion Chief Brian Cunningham said of Killinger.

As for the latter two, they now have the skills necessary to drive various types of department vehicles. “Both had to log several hours during the day and night,” Mitchell Brooks, another battalion chief, said.

Mayor Shawn Barigar presented the certificates and congratulated the men. “Thank you for your service to the community and to all of us,” he told the firemen.

Pushup Challenge
If anyone ever thought council held dry meetings, they didn’t attend Monday evening’s meeting.

After the ceremonies, Chief Craig Kingsbury challenged the City Council members and those in the audience to complete the 22 Pushup Challenge, an awareness program in honor of veterans.

The police chief said his department has taken the challenge, which is to do 22 push ups for 22 days – a number that represents the number of veterans who every day take their own lives due to post traumatic stress disorder.

Council members as well as several audience members participated in the challenge, doing push ups on the floor of the Council Chambers. Members took a short break afterward to catch their breath or grab a cup of water before the meeting resumed.

“Thank you,” Barigar said. “I see that you’ve been making the rounds on Facebook,” inviting people to participate in the challenge.

The program was started by Honor Courage Commitment Inc., which has a site specifically devoted to the push-up challenge. You can learn more about its cause by visiting the site.

“I think we should go for 55 push ups next time,” Kingsbury said.

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