The Newport Commission meeting on Tuesday was filled with fellow officers and family members applauding achievements in the police department, ranging from peer-selected awards, promotions and the introduction of a new recruit.
Awards
Sergeant Brian Waldorf, Officer Aaron McNeil, Officer Trevor Ripberger, Officer Connor Bleser, and Officer Patrick Reynolds with the police department were given the 110% award. The 110% award is a policy-generated award. Newport Police Chief Chris Fangman said the department has an awards committee composed of leaders within the department. They vet the officers and know their reputations, including those giving 110%.
“I’m proud to stand here and tell you that the following awards are going to be given by the peers of the officers,” Fangman said. “Some of our biggest critics are ourselves. So, to actually get through the gauntlet of what your fellow officers think about you and how much they respect you is a big deal.”
Waldorf was also presented with the 2025 Officer of the Year award. It is an award also given by fellow officers in the department through the awards committee.
Reynolds also received the Governor’s Impaired Driving Award, given from the state.
“You’re staring at a lot of great leadership, and a lot of great officers in here are also great leaders,” Fangman said. “I’m very proud of everybody in this room. We have a fantastic police department, and it shows the amount of respect we get from those we serve is second to none.”
Promotions
Fangman said that one of the hardest things to do in the police department is to get promoted because it’s a very competitive process.
Two members of the department were promoted and recognized on Tuesday. Connor Bleser was promoted to the position of sergeant, and Adam Moeves was promoted to the position of lieutenant.
“Everybody will tell you that’s gone through it. It’s very dog-eat-dog; it’s very everybody trying to outdo each other,” he said.
About 15% to 20% of police officers make it to sergeant, according to Fangman. He called it one of the most “competitive processes” he has seen.
“It was full of incredibly intelligent officers,” he said. “It was a process I would have hated to have been in, because going against some of these fellows, it looks difficult.”
The number of police officers who make it to the rank of lieutenant and above, Fangman said, was even lower at 3% to 5%.
The department has four shift lieutenants and four shift sergeants. The shift lieutenants are the platoon commanders. They are in charge of everybody on that shift. They have to know everybody on their shift very well. They are in charge of the chemistry and also getting the work done.
Moeves also serves on the Northern Kentucky SWAT team.
“We are very, very glad to have somebody like Adam Moeves, who’s done a fantastic job of leading his shifts and also representing us on the Northern Kentucky SWAT team, which is a very strenuous team to even get on,” Fangman said. “We’re very proud that he’s on and representing us.”
New recruit
The department also welcomed Ryan Stevens as a new police recruit.
Stevens is one of six new recruits who will attend the academy together. Fangman said this class of six is tied for the most in the department’s history to attend the academy together. The department welcomed the other five recruits, Gannon Torres, William Stine, Nicholas Baldwin, Caleb Smith and Noah Curry during a packed room of support on June 15.
Fangman said on Tuesday that Stevens was born and raised in Northern Kentucky. He’s a dedicated wrestler, competing throughout high school, and he continued his athletic career at West Virginia University Institute of Technology. He later earned a bachelor’s degree in forensic psychology from Eastern Kentucky University. Stevens has also attained a black belt in multiple martial arts disciplines.
Stevens’ dedication to law enforcement is deeply rooted in family tradition. His late father, Kenny Stevens, served with the Erlanger Police Department. Fangman said the department is big on generational officers.
“I already know what kind of character, what kind of family background,” he said. “I’m a third generation myself. It’s an honor to serve another generational police officer. With that said, following in his father’s footsteps, Ryan is proud to continue that legacy as a second generation police officer.”
