Like father, like son: Elyria officer receives honorary ‘Badge No. 1′

NewsThe Elyria Police Department building on West Avenue.Hannah DrownELYRIA, Ohio — A father and son have now both earned the accolade of wearing “Badge No. 1″ for the Elyria Police Department.Officer Joseph Figula Jr. recently became the department’s most senior patrol officer, having served in the role since 1997, according to a Facebook post from the department. Elyria’s police department has a tradition of assigning its most senior officer Badge No. 1.MORE BY ADVANCE LOCAL EXPRESS DESKAnd now Figula Jr. has earned the same accolade as his father, retired Officer Joseph Figula Sr., had earned the same badge after serving as an officer for more than 31 years, from 1977 until his retirement in 2008.The department marked the occasion by having Figula Sr. pin Badge No. 1 on his son.“Together, they represent nearly six decades of dedicated service to the City of Elyria,” said Police Chief James Welsh in a Facebook post. “Having Officer Figula Sr. present Badge [No. 1] to his son made the occasion even more meaningful. It was a proud moment for the Figula family and for our department, and one I know many of us will remember for years to come.”The Advance Local Express Desk uses AI tools to assist in producing content, which is reviewed and edited by staff. Advance Local is the parent company of AL.com, Cleveland.com, lehighvalleylive.com,...