The courtroom was packed last Thursday night — proud moms and dads sat tall in their blue chairs, friends and siblings chattered animatedly and girlfriends sat by, ready to give their congratulatio
By Charley Falkenburg, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY — The courtroom was packed last Thursday night — proud moms and dads sat tall in their blue chairs, friends and siblings chattered animatedly and girlfriends sat by, ready to give their congratulations via hugs and kisses.
It was a big night on June 6 as the Township Committee and the Police Department welcomed aboard its three newest police cadets to Montgomery’s team of men in blue.
Clad in suit and ties, John David Colucci of Woodbridge, Timothy Warren Dubovick of Spotswood and Joeseph Paul Ceccato of Warren were sworn in and received their new badges, making them the first new police hires in almost a decade.
The three young men, all in their mid-20s, were selected out of an initial pool of 200 candidates in the recruitment process that began in March. After passing the written and physical exams, the three men were officially selected after impressing the town and police officials during three rounds of interviews.
”They are exceptional recruits and represent the best of an outstanding bunch of candidates,” said Mayor Ed Trzaska. “They were selected because of their potential to become outstanding law enforcement professionals and fit well with our community.”
The latter, however, was what really sealed the deal for the mayor. He emphasized that all three understood the aspect of providing customer service for a town such as Montgomery and that they demonstrated appreciation and value toward providing that essential partnership with the community.
Friends and family weren’t the only ones cheering; lined against the back wall were more than 10 veteran officers clapping for their newest colleagues. Many had helped in the rigorous hiring process, which didn’t go unnoticed by Capt. Bob Palmer.
”The process has paid huge dividends to the department and the community — you can see the caliber and talent we were able to amass that brought us these three stellar candidates,” he said. “This department truly appreciates the commitment of the governing body to acquire candidates of this caliber. It wasn’t and it’s certainly a more expensive approach, but in the end I think it provides a far superior result.”
The administration allotted $130,000 in the 2013 budget specifically to fund the police recruitment and the police academy tuition. As entry level officers, Mr. Colucci, Mr. Dubovick and Mr. Ceccato will all start with a $41,000 salary, according to the township’s new four-year contract with the police union.
To prepare for multiple impending retirements, the township decided to hire new officers to make sure the community continues to have a full police force. Mayor Trzaska said one officer already put in his paperwork and is expected to hang up his uniform some time this summer.
Going forward, the township will be putting the new hires through the Somerset County Police Academy. All three are scheduled to attend orientation on June 27 and officially start training on July 8. In the meantime, they will be amassing the necessary equipment and learning some basic training in preparation for the academy.
”They’re headed for a busy few weeks, but we know they’re going to be a major asset to this department,” said Capt. Palmer.