Lodi Police Cpl. Tim Fritz received his badge during a ceremony Wednesday at the Community Room. Fritz's wife of 11 years, Suzi, does the honor of pinning it on. (Jennifer M. Howell/News-Sentinel)

One Lodi Police officer gets promoted as another joins the department

After spending most of his life wanting to go into law enforcement, Lodi's newest police officer changed careers and was sworn in on Wednesday.

Brannon Haro, who turns 36 on Saturday, took an oath Wednesday morning and will now spend months working with training officers before patrolling alone.

One of those training officers is Cpl. Tim Fritz, who was recently promoted and was officially recognized at Wednesday's ceremony.

Haro, of Manteca, is following in the footsteps of his father, who spent many years with the Stockton Police Department. One of his uncles was also a Stockton police officer, and two other uncles were San Joaquin County Sheriff's deputies. And his grandmother once worked part-time for the Lodi Police Department, where she handled parking tickets.

Haro said he'd always wanted to become a police officer and was studying criminal justice at Modesto Junior College when he happened to get a job in sales for Pepsi. The job paid well, and Haro wound up working there for 14 years.

The newest addition to the Lodi Police Department, Brannon Haro, takes the oath at his swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday at the Community Room. City Clerk Randi Johl performed the swearing-in. (Jennifer M. Howell/News-Sentinel)

But he still wanted to be a police officer, so Haro decided to change jobs before it was too late. Stockton tried more than once to recruit him, he said, but he was more interested in a smaller department.

When he's not working, Haro enjoys golfing, playing basketball and wakeboarding. His wife, Jennifer, attended Wednesday's ceremony with their three sons: Austin, 12; Dylan, 8; and Ryan, 4.

Fritz, who was promoted in February and recognized Wednesday, has been with the force since 2000.

The former math teacher is involved in the department's Critical Incident Negotiation Team, bicycle team and worked as a detective until his promotion. He also spent several years mentoring and training cadets.