Purdue Police Department adds 3 officers with swearing-in event

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue University Police Department welcomed its three newest members - A.J. Demello, Ryan Melton and Trenton Young - with a swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday (Nov. 15).

Demello is a former member of the Lafayette Police Department, where he served 13 years as a patrol officer, canine handler and certified trainer and defensive tactics instructor. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran, having served nine years as canine handler, flight sergeant and armorer.

Melton graduated from Purdue with a bachelor's degree in law and society. He has been a dispatcher with the Hendricks County Communications Center the last two years. At Purdue, he was a member of the Student Security Patrol.

Young has been a corrections officer with the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Department since 2011. He served in the U.S. Army as a cavalry scout and was deployed to Iraq, where he was awarded several medals including a Purple Heart, the Army Commendation and Army Achievement medals and the Combat Action Badge.

Contact: Purdue Police Chief John Cox, 765-494-8221