WOODBRIDGE – Eight new police officers have joined the ranks of the Woodbridge Township Police Department (WPD).
The new officers successfully completed the state-mandated six-month Police Training Commission program and will take up patrol assignments on the streets of Woodbridge Township. The appointments were approved after the recruits successfully completed an extensive testing and eligibility process overseen by the New Jersey Department of Personnel, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and the Woodbridge Police Department, according to information provided by the mayor’s office.
“We are pleased to announce the appointment of these eight new police officers to the ranks of the Woodbridge Township Police Department,” Mayor John E. McCormac said in the statement. “The public safety mission of the WPD is our most important priority. As a result of our commitment to public safety, combined with the increased assignment of uniformed officers to street patrol, the WPD continues to maintain police ranks at a maximum staffing level of more than 200 sworn officers effectively protecting public safety.”
Joining McCormac to announce the appointment on Jan. 13 were Police Director Robert Hubner, Deputy Police Director Joseph Nisky, Captain Scott Kuzma, Chief Law Enforcement Officer, Municipal Clerk John Mitch, Municipal Council President Lizbeth DeJesus, Council Vice President Brian Small, Councilwomen Debbie Meehan and Nancy Drumm, and Councilmen Councilman Cory Spillar and Gregg Ficarra, along with members of the WPD Command Staff, WPD officers, families and friends.
The newly appointed patrol officers are:
Richard Byrnes, 40, has resided in the Fords section of Woodbridge since 1984. He is a graduate of Woodbridge High School. He was a sworn Amtrak police officer with the rank of sergeant prior to joining the WPD. Byrnes is a certified firearms instructor and has been assigned to work with an explosives detection canine. He was also a former police officer for the United States Customs and Border Protection. Byrnes is a 2004 graduate of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia and a recent graduate of the Mercer County Police Academy.
Dalleyri Lopez, 26, has resided in Woodbridge since 2007. She is a graduate of Woodbridge High School and earned an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice from Middlesex County College. She formerly worked for Top Shelf Electric in Iselin as an employee relations representative. Lopez is a graduate of the Cape May County Police Academy.
Laura Marie Higgins, 32, is a lifelong resident of the Avenel section of Woodbridge. She is a graduate of Colonia High School and went on to complete her master’s degree in Sociology and Social Justice from Kean University. She was formerly the EMS coordinator for Woodbridge Township and was also the president of the Colonia First Aid Squad. Higgins is a certified EMT and previously held a position as a WPD communications dispatch operator. Higgins’ cousin, Robert Higgins, is a Woodbridge Township police detective. Laura Marie Higgins is a graduate of the Cape May County Police Academy.
Steven Doyle, 26, is a resident of Fords and a lifelong resident of Woodbridge Township. Doyle is a graduate of the Perth Amboy Vo-Tech School. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corp in 2012 and after fulfilling his commitment, was honorably discharged holding the rank of sergeant. Doyle was formerly employed as a service manager for Wabash National. His grandfather, Robert Hodes, was a Woodbridge Township police officer. Doyle is a graduate of the Cape May County Police Academy.
Robert McPartland, 28, has resided in Woodbridge since 1995. McPartland is a graduate of John F. Kennedy Memorial High School in Iselin. He stands as the current chief of the Iselin Fire Department. He was formerly a WPD communications dispatch operator and was also assigned to the WPD Traffic Maintenance Unit. McPartland is a certified EMT and is a graduate of the Cape May County Police Academy.
Tianna Zaremba, 22, is a lifelong resident of the Port Reading section of Woodbridge. She is a graduate of Woodbridge High School and achieved her associate’s degree in Criminal Justice from Middlesex County College. She is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice at New Jersey City University. Prior to being hired as a Woodbridge police officer, Zaremba was a member of the Woodbridge Police Auxiliary since 2017. Her brother, Thomas Zaremba, was sworn in as a Woodbridge Township police officer in June 2019. Tianna Zaremba is a graduate of the Cape May County Police Academy.
Riley Egan, 21, resides in Sewaren and has been a resident of Woodbridge since 2012. He is a graduate of John F. Kennedy Memorial High School in Iselin and was formerly employed with Wisdom Protective Systems as a security guard in Perth Amboy. He is a graduate of the Cape May County Police Academy.
Samuel Annuzzi, 30, resides in Fords and has lived in Woodbridge since 1994. Annuzzi is a graduate of Woodbridge High School and has achieved an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice from Middlesex County College. Annuzzi was a Somerset County sheriff’s officer since 2012 assigned to the Administrative Division prior to his enlistment with the WPD. He is a graduate of the Somerset County Police Academy.