Four more openings wait to be filled.
By: Jill Matthews
MONTGOMERY Four new police officers were appointed and sworn in during a Township Committee meeting last week.
The new officers are Ryan Gray, 29, of Hamilton; Jason Clifford, 28, of Howell; Julio Lugo, 34, of Somerset; and Michael Calabrese, 26, of Fords.
Officer Gray previously worked as a police officer in Hanover Township. He received a degree in accounting from Richard Stockton State College and is a graduate of the Ocean County Police Academy.
Officer Clifford previously worked as a dispatcher for the Freehold Police Department, as a special officer Class 1 for the Point Pleasant Beach Police Department, and as a corrections officer for the New Jersey State Department of Corrections. He received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Johnson and Wales University and also graduated from the Monmouth County Police Academy.
Officer Lugo previously worked as a police officer at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in Newark. He received a degree in criminal justice from Rutgers University and is a graduate of the New Jersey State Police Academy in Sea Girt.
Officer Calabrese previously worked as a police officer for the Middlesex County Police Department. He attended Middlesex County College and graduated from the Somerset County Police Academy.
The officers will start with the Montgomery department on Monday.
"The Montgomery Township Police Department is very excited that these four individuals will be joining the ranks," said Michael Beltranena, township police director.
The department still has four more openings, he said. One of the openings will be filled in January and the other three will be filled shortly thereafter, he said.