COURT HOUSE — Family and friends of 40 members of Class No. 44, Special Law Enforcement Officers Class II gathered at the Middle Township Performing Arts Center to watch them take oaths as police officers May 8. All but two from Riverside Township, were from Cape May County departments.
Those departments gaining the new officers were Avalon, Cape May, North Wildwood, Ocean City, Sea Isle City, Stone Haror, Wildwood and Wildwood Crest.
Their graduation is timed to coincide with the coming summer season when barrier island populations increase and place a greater demand for police services.
The class President is Todd Brown of the Ocean City Police Department who was elected by members of the class. The class motto is, “Heart, Drive, Respect. The first two you give; the last one you earn”.
Individual Awards are as follows:
High Academic Award: Officer Andrew Eckert of the Wildwood Crest Police Department.
Vehicle Operations Award: Officer Jeremy Mawhinney of the North Wildwood Police Department.
Physical Fitness Award: Officer Tristin Johns of the Ocean City Police Department.
Firearms Award: Officer Andrew Eckert of the Wildwood Crest Police Department.
Directors Award: Officer Andrew Eckert of the Wildwood Crest Police Department.
Police Training Commission Merit Award: Officer Andrew Eckert of the Wildwood Crest Police Department.
Each student graduating is entitled to receive 15 college credits from Atlantic Cape Community College.
The class final academic average is 91.01 percent. The class started with an overall physical fitness average of 80.1 percent and finished with an average of 88.7 percent.
The address to the graduating class was given by Freeholder Leonard Desiderio. The keynote speaker was Ocean City Chief of Police Chad Callahan.
The class President was Todd Brown of the Ocean City Police Department who was elected by members of the class. The class motto was, “Heart, Drive, Respect. The first two you give; the last one you earn.”
Class members were:
AVALON:
Donald J. Ala, Matthew Ardelean, James J. Benedict, Joseph C. Biener, Brooke A. Craver, Nicholas Grasso
CAPE MAY CITY:
Ramy Hanna
NORTH WILDWOOD:
Dean M. Cooney, Theodore W. Estberg III, Michael J. Hagner, Michael J. Harkin III, Jeremy R. Mawhinney
OCEAN CITY:
Eric Aparicio, Pedro Benitez, Todd Brown, Tristan Johns, Michael Kedziora, Colin McGuigan, Travis Spadafora
RIVERSIDE TOWNSHIP:
Travis Perinho, Nicholas Wallace
SEA ISLE CITY:
Dominick M. Farinelli, Kevin J. Lokaj, Henry F. McLaughlin
STONE HARBOR:
Matthew J. Kochis
WILDWOOD:
Kristopher M. Austin, Brittany M. Barnett, Robert E. Bright, Kyle J. Clark, Jacob R. Custis, Tyler E. Erazmus, Drew M. Fiorucci, Brian S. Harrison, James E. Homan, Connor E. Hughes, Joseph R. Shanahan, Thomas F. Shough, Samuel D. Stango, Tiffany L. Stencler
WILDWOOD CREST:
Andrew Eckert
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
