By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
It was a historic night for the Montgomery Township Police Department, as six new police officers were sworn into office by Municipal Attorney Kristina Hadinger., The six new police officers were introduced to the Montgomery Township Committee at a swearing-in ceremony at the governing body’s Jan. 19 meeting. One of the new officers grew up in Montgomery Township., The six new police officers will join the 28 police officers who are already on the job. They were hired to fill vacancies caused by retirements in the Police Department., Police Capt. Thomas Wain, who is also the police director, said a great deal of work went into the hiring process. He thanked Township Committee for allowing a competitive police test to be given to aspiring police officers., “We have no doubt that these six young men who are about to be sworn in are the best of the best,” Capt. Wain said. “They are not only intelligent, they are emotionally intelligent. It is the most important aspect of being a police officer.”, Police Lt. James Gill introduced the six police officers to Township Committee., Connor A. Chapkowski, 23, lives in Flemington, Lt. Gill said. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from DeSales University in 2014, and worked as a probation officer for the Lehigh County Adult Probation and Parole Department., Eric A. Hannold, 22, grew up in Hillsborough Township and graduated from Messiah College in 2016. He worked as a special police officer with the Cape May City Police Department., Troy Gonzalez, 23, lives in Spotswood. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Monmouth University in 2015. He previously worked as a special police officer with the East Brunswick Township Police Department., “We took Troy from the East Brunswick Police Department,” Lt. Gill said., Christopher F. Parlow Jr., 22, lives in Brick Township. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Stockton University in 2015, and served as a special police officer with the Lavallette Police Department. He also worked as a security specialist at the Borgota Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City., Troy Sudeck, 25, grew up in Hamilton Township and graduated from Rider University in 2014. He is a 1st lieutenant in the New Jersey Army National Guard and has earned numerous awards and commendations, Lt. Gill said., “He has shown a lot of dedication to our country,” Lt. Gill said., Adam Verducci, 24, grew up in Montgomery Township and graduated from Montgomery High School in 2010. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 2015., He is a volunteer firefighter and volunteer emergency medical technician in Montgomery Township. He has worked as an emergency support specialist in the Somerset County Office of Emergency Management., Deputy Mayor Richard Smith said the six new police officers are a “fantastic group,” and added that “it is so great to have a Montgomery citizen as one of the group.”, Capt. Wain urged the newly sworn in police officers to remember that law enforcement is a difficult profession, but there is a “huge” network of support from the other police officers and from their own families., “It’s a tough job to learn. Don’t expect to learn it in a couple of months or even a year. It takes time,” Capt. Wain said to the new officers. He reminded them that they can rely on the veteran police officers for help and support., “You can’t get through 25 or 30 years as a police officer without a good support team. Reach out to us,” Capt. Wain said.
