County Police Academy Graduates 38th Class

COURT HOUSE – Cape May County added 11 to its “thin blue line” June 2.
They stood ram-rod straight, raised their right hands and recited the oath of office as police officers. They were graduating with 17 others from North Jersey municipalities in the 38th Basic Course for Police Officers from Cape May County Police Academy. The ceremony was held at Middle Township Performing Arts Center.
Freeholder Vice Director Leonard Desiderio led the oath. He is county public safety director.
Wildwood Police Department added seven officers, Lower Township Police Department added three, and Wildwood Crest Police Department added one.
Class President Corey A. Scheid of Lower Township Police Department represented the class and presented a plaque with the class photograph to Thomas DePaul, director of the Public Safety Training Center.
“Dignity is not negotiable,” Desiderio reminded the class. “Listen to those words, they mean something. They define who you have become. Do not disgrace the oath. I encourage you to live that oath both on duty and off duty. People will expect nothing less from you for now you have become part of America’s finest.”
Ocean City resident James Plousis, New Jersey Parole Board chairman, former Cape May County sheriff and former U.S. Marshal for New Jersey, delivered the keynote address.
“For the last year, law enforcement has been under the gun. You see it in Ferguson; you see it in Baltimore, in New York City. There are two things that are coming out of all the criticism of law enforcement. One, our law enforcement officers are not properly trained and two, we don’t have the proper procedure. That’s one thing I can say in New Jersey, we don’t have that issue. We have some of the best training in the country. As we heard earlier, this is one of the best academies in the country. We train our people for 22 weeks.
“To give you a perspective, to be an FBI agent, a U.S. deputy, a Secret Service agent you don’t go for 20 weeks of training. Most academies in Glencoe (Ga.) for our federal agents is 12 weeks. So our officers in this state are the best trained in the country. If they wanted to leave New Jersey, their police training is accepted throughout the United States,” Plousis said.
He added that, in the state, all policy and direction on law enforcement comes directly from the Attorney General. Taking that a step further, he noted the New Jersey Chiefs of Police has accredited over 200 law enforcement agencies in the state. That adds another level to the procedures and policies that guide law enforcement officers in the performance of their jobs, he said.
“We have given them policies and procedures to be successful in law enforcement,” Plousis said.
“One standard I live by, the richest man in the world enjoys their daily toil,” said Plousis. “So I always tell these recruits if you don’t like what you’re doing, do yourself a favor, do your family a favor, do your agency a favor and find another position because if you don’t like what you’re doing, every day becomes a toil. But in law enforcement every day you have an opportunity to make a difference, not only make your hometown safer but your state safer. Please, bring your enthusiasm to work every day,” he concluded.
The class started with a physical fitness average of 78.91 percent and finished with an average of 92.14 percent. The Class final academic average was 93.40 percent and their firearm average was 93.14 percent. The class president was Corey Scheid of the Lower Township Police Department who was elected by members of the class. The class motto is, “Remind the few, if ill of us they speak, that we are all that stands between the monsters and the weak.”
The following awards were given out to the graduates:
High Academic Award: James J. Allen, Wildwood Police Department – 97.95 percent
Vehicle Operations Award: Justin J. Meccia, New Brunswick Police Department – 26.965 seconds
Physical Fitness Award: Tristan K. Johns, Wildwood Police Department – 100 percent
Firearms Award: Travis C. Philhower, Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department – 100 percent
Director’s Award: Jacob M. Harris, Wildwood Police Department – Overall Class Ranking No. One
Below is a list of the graduating Class of the 38th Basic Course for Police Officers:
Lower Township:
Eric D. Danze
Jonathan J. Scheck
Corey A. Scheid
New Brunswick:
Ervin Gomez
Eric A. Martinez
Justin J. Meccia
Anthony J. Muldowney
Eddie Rodriguez
Vincent M. Scasserra
Kevin M Sturmfels
Alexander J. Uzunis
Stewart A. Way
Palisades:
Donald N. Liu
David Moscaritolo
Travis C. Philhower
Eric Yi
Salem County Sheriff:
Christopher J. Luisi
Christopher M. McElroy
Seth C. Todd
Ventnor City:
Gabriel I. Henao
Wildwood:
James J. Allen
Jacob M. Harris
Tristan K. Johns
Christopher E. Katz
Matthew F. Mahoney, Jr.
Samuel D. Stango
Andrew H. Vivarelli
Wildwood Crest:
Lorenzo R. Plaza