The Ottawa Police Department added a member to its force Tuesday night, after Kyle Henson was sworn in as its newest officer.

Henson was sworn in and congratulated by officers at the April 7 meeting of the Ottawa City Council.

“We’re excited to have Mr. Henson on board,” Ottawa Police Chief Mike Cheatham said. “We think he’s a great fit on our force and he is going to help our community-based approach to policing.”

Henson has been a police officer for two years, previously serving in Dwight and Decatur.

Cheatham said that with the addition of Henson, the Ottawa Police Department is now fully-staffed with 40 active officers.

Henson applied for the position, passed a written exam, and was interviewed by the police and fire commissions before being hired.

“Everybody was impressed by him,” Cheatham said. “His down-to-earth demeanor and sound decision-making process is going to be an asset for us.”

Henson, who has family ties to Ottawa, will join the police department for a seven-week field training exercise and then become a regular officer.