MARLBORO – Seven members of the Marlboro Township Police Explorers Post 105 were promoted at the Jan. 17 meeting of the Township Council.
The Police Explorers post, founded in 1982, is open to students between the ages of 14 and 21 who are interested in learning more about a career in law enforcement.
Receiving the rank of sergeant were Dylan Barkaszi, a junior atMarlboro High School who is also a student at the Monmouth County Vocational School for Law Enforcement; Matt Spadaro, a junior at Marlboro High School studying at the Monmouth County Vocational School for Law Enforcement; and Ray Minarcik, a freshman at Rutgers University and member of the Marlboro First Aid Squad.
Mark Cosentino, a senior and a member of the National Honor Society at Colts Neck High School, and JamesMcCormick, a student at Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, and member of the post since 2003, became the two newest lieutenants.
Earning the rank of captain was Adam Levine, a student at Brookdale Community College majoring in criminal justice. Levine works in Marlboro as the township’s municipal court officer and he is a member of the Robertsville Fire Department.
Callen Figarola became the Police Explorers’ newest chief. Figarola, a sophomore at Rider University, Lawrenceville, works part-time for the Marlboro Police Department as a dispatcher.
Figarola is currently attending the Monmouth County Police Academy, Freehold Township, and will work as a Class II officer for the Manasquan Police Department upon graduation. In his position as chief of the Marlboro Explorers, Figarola will oversee the other 24 members of the post.
Since the Marlboro Explorers began the post has seen 33 members go on to work in law enforcement, including with the New York Police Department, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the U.S. Secret Service, according toMarlboro Patrolman Stephen Levy.
Levy, Lt. Douglas Van Note, Patrolman Andrew Goldberg, Cpl.William Nagle, Patrolman James Ferraro and retired Sgt. Luann Tansey oversee and guide the Explorers.
“We’ve had 11 Explorers go on to work right here in Marlboro as police officers,” Levy told the crowd at Town Hall.
After the new leaders of the Police Ex- plorers post were honored, the Explorers awards were given out.
The Community Service Award was presented to seven members of the post. The award is presented to an Explorer who volunteers a certain number of hours at community functions. For 2007 a goal of 65 hours was set. Frank Gyimesi, Samantha Goldberg, Lt. James McCormick, Brad Rubin, Lt. Mark Cosentino, Chief Callen Figarola and Sgt. Matt Spadaro all volunteered 65 hours or more.
The Law Enforcement Award is presented to an Explorer who goes above and beyond what is expected of himor her. This year the award was presented to Capt. Adam Levine, who witnessed a traffic accident in Freehold Township in January 2007 that claimed the lives of four people. Levine pulled over, made a call to 911 to give the dispatcher the pertinent information and rendered what assistance he could.
The final award was the Cpl. Robert E. Tossie Sr. Explorer of the Year Award for 2007. The award is named in honor of Tossie, the late police officer who was instrumental in starting the Explorers post in Marlboro. It is presented to the Explorer who the post advisers believe has contributed an overall outstanding performance to the post and to the community.
Sgt. Matthew Spadaro was awarded that honor for 2007 for his dedication to the Explorers. Spadaro attended all 12 of the post’s monthly meetings, compiled more than 80 community service hours and compiled 232.5 total hours, which is more than any other Explorer on the post.
Spadaro attended the Police Athletic League (PAL) Explorers Academy in July and was awarded second place for his work in bomb threat response. Spadaro was one of only six Explorers inNew Jersey to be selected for the PAL Advanced Academy where he received additional training in the law enforcement field.
After the awards were distributed Mayor Jonathan Hornik spoke about the Police Explorers post, which was started during the mayoral administration of his late father, Saul Hornik.
“Thank you for your hard work.You do a tremendous job for this town. We respect what you do,” Hornik told the Explorers.
The mayor offered a round of applause for Lt. Nick Barbella and Lt. Douglas Van Note, who helped to organize the program more than two decades ago.
“I amproud to say we have the strongest Explorers program in Monmouth County,” Hornik said, adding that the success of the post comes from the hardworking officers who remain dedicated to the program.