Freehold police force will
welcome 2 new officers
By clare MARie celano
Staff Writer
Kevin Werner (l) and Eduardo Santana have been appointed as the newest members of the Freehold Borough Police Department and will begin their training at the Monmouth County Police Academy, Freehold Township.
FREEHOLD — Two new police officers are expected to be cruising borough streets this summer.
Borough residents Kevin R. Werner and Eduardo Santana were appointed as police officers at a Borough Council meeting held Jan. 21.
According to Freehold Borough Police Capt. Michael DiAiso, both officers began their training at headquarters on Jan. 20.
DiAiso said the men were expected to spend one week with him for initial training, "to learn about departmental policy as denoted by our department. They will learn county policy, general guidelines and state law at the Monmouth County Police Academy."
Both men were scheduled to start their training at the police academy in Freehold Township on Jan. 27. After graduation from the academy in June, both officers should be patrolling the streets of the borough, according to DiAiso.
Werner, 27, was born in Manalapan. A graduate of Manalapan High School and Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, he now resides in the borough.
Werner said he’s always wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, who is a retired Bayonne police officer. Werner’s said his father gave him the inspiration he needed to achieve his goal, while his mother gave him the support to go along with it.
In addition to receiving a degree in criminal justice, Werner also spent some time self-employed in his own construction business. He said the skills he’s acquired by being in his own business have prepared him for his work in the borough.
Werner has some knowledge of Spanish which he said will be of help to him in his work.
Santana, 28, was born in Puerto Rico and has made the United States, specifically Freehold Borough, his home for the last 14 years. Santana, who is bilingual, said that "it was always in me" to become a police officer.
A graduate of Freehold Borough High School, Santana is an Emergency Medical Technician who has been an active member of the volunteer Freehold First Aid and Emergency Squad for 18 months.
He has also worked as a safety coordinator and shop manager for a landscape construction company.
Santana said he knows he can be an asset to the community.
DiAiso said Santana’s heritage and his bilingual skills will act like a bridge between the sectors of the community, referring to the thousands of Spanish speaking residents who make their home in the borough.
"He intends to bridge that gap," DiAiso said.