By: David Weinstein
Four new police officers, including a woman and an Asian-American, were sworn into duty as South Brunswick Police Officers Tuesday night before the Township Council meeting.
Salaries of the officers will be provided by a federal grant that allocates money to municipalities to place police officers in schools.
Grant money is provided to the department in the amount of $125,000 for each officer over a three-year period.
Two of the new officers will attend the 21-week academy before stepping into the township department.
Those attending the academy will earn academy-step wages, or the biweekly equivalent of $28,625 a year during the 21-week program, while those officers entering directly into force will make $33,836 a year, Lt. Schmalz said.
The addition of the officers will free existing officers to be stationed in district schools as School Resource Officers.
The new officers are Karen Camp, 27, Clarksboro; Robert Jairdullo, 25, North Plainfield; Richard Shin, 22, Mount Holly; and Ronald Seaman, 24, Sayreville.
Ms. Camp graduated from Rutgers University and has been a police officer for three years with the Delaware River and Bay Authority. She also served as an intern at the South Brunswick Police Department.
Mr. Jairdullo graduated from West Chester University in West Chester, Pa., and was most recently a substitute school teacher at North Plainfield High School where he also coached the wrestling team. He has also been a Somerset County Corrections Officer since January.
Mr. Shin earned an associate’s degree from Mercer County College and previously worked in as a customer service agent for AAA.
Mr. Seaman graduated from Kean University and was employed by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office as an agent. For the past two years he worked with the Spring Lake Police Department as a Class II officer.
Police Chief Michael Paquette said the new hirings strengthen the relationship between the police, community and the schools, and, in a continuing effort, further diversifies the department as a whole.
