Woodbridge police officials, from left, Todd Kutcher, Joseph Nisky and Robert Hubner recognize auxiliary officers Joseph Gomes, Glenn Poos, Joseph Haley and Joseph Masters Sr. Also participating in the ceremony are Emergency Management Director Patrick Kenny and Mayor John McCormac. PHOTO COURTESY OF WOODBRIDGE TOWNSHIP They can be found at many township events, keeping order and ensuring that people are safe. They are also there in times of crisis, providing help and guidance.
They are the officers of the Woodbridge Auxiliary Police Department, and they do it all as volunteers.
Four members of the auxiliary force received recognition when they were promoted to higher ranks at a town hall ceremony on April 21.
“The men and women of our Auxiliary Police Department … are extremely important to us,” Woodbridge Police Director Robert Hubner said. “Without their aid, we wouldn’t be able to deliver the services that we do to the community.”
Hubner added that the four officers were deserving of their respective promotions.
Mayor John McCormac, who introduced each of the four officers, also praised their efforts, along with the Auxiliary Police Department as a whole.
“They do all kinds of things for us, and they’ve never ever … been busier than they’ve been in the past several years,” the mayor said. “They do a fantastic job for us.”
Officer Joseph Gomes — who lives in Avenel with his wife, Ruth, and is the father of James, 21, and Clare, 19 — was promoted from lieutenant to captain. A diesel mechanic with NJ Transit, Gomes was raised in Colonia and graduated from Colonia High School.
He joined the ranks of the Auxiliary Police Department in 1990, and was promoted to sergeant by 1994. In 2000, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant.