The Pinecrest Police Department's new six-member honor guard

The prestigious unit will provide ceremonial honors when needed for special events or requested for a service to commemorate a death in the law enforcement and firefighting communities.

"The benefit of having the honor guard is the prestige it brings to Pinecrest Police Department," said Officer Tory Mangione. "It also brings unity and camaraderie to a group of officers that train specifically in ceremonial honors. It also provides a service to all law enforcement agencies in the area."

The six officers who make up the honor guard in addition to Mangione are Victor Rivas, Jose Rodriguez, Pablo Rodriguez, Camilo Layne and James Bridges. Sgt. Debbie Glasel is the administrative sergeant for the unit and is its supervisor.

The unit is voluntary and the members receive no extra pay for the hours they devote to practicing or for the time they will spend participating in various events.

The unit made its debut in the Pinecrest Anniversary Parade March 11 and residents were treated to a smart-stepping unit, its members dressed in long sleeve shirts and ascots.

"In a staff meeting in January I mentioned that it would be nice to have an honor guard and the officers took that suggestion and ran with it," said Police Chief John Hohensee. "They worked very hard to be ready for the parade and I was very proud of their performance - how they looked, how they acted - it's just a nice addition to the department. I have heard very positive comments from the community about how good they looked at the parade and how well they represented the department."