Up until a year ago, Hienne Chemas and Monica Perez had no idea that they would someday set a precedent in their town’s police department. According to the young women, their families had encouraged them to pursue less dangerous career paths, but the newly-appointed police officers marched to the beat of their own drum. Both 23, they joined the ranks of the West New York Police Department last year and are blazing the trail as the first females of the town’s force. The women claim that, ultimately, their families supported their chosen careers were excited about their achievements. Police Director Joseph Pelliccio said the appointment of women has been long overdue. “This has been something that’s been a long time coming,” said Pelliccio last week. “I don’t know why we didn’t have this before, but I feel it’s a good thing. This is my eighth stop as police director in a department and there’s never been a problem as far as having female officers. Not only are they pulling their own weight and being good officers, but I feel it’s an advantage in our efforts to recruit other young men and women who would like to join the force. They’re doing a good job and we are proud to have them as part of this department.” Even though Chemas and Perez may be considered pioneers in the male-dominated department, their decision to join was not based on egoistic desires to change the course of the town’s history. Instead, they were drawn to the profession to positively impact their community. “When I first started out, I wanted to be a lawyer,” said Perez, who is a town resident and a graduate of Trenton State College. “My interest in criminal justice in college really exposed me to the needs of the community and I realized then that I wanted to deal with the public. I didn’t start out in this direction, but I felt being an officer would be a good way to help the community and I pursued it. It’s a decision that I feel good about.” Chemas, a former resident of Weehawken who has lived in West New York for nearly three years, worked for the EMS Ambulance Service in Hudson County for six years and was studying to become a doctor at Seton Hall College when she decided to change her career path. “I was supposed to be the doctor in my family,” she said. “My family almost had a heart attack that I was switching to criminal justice and being an officer. But it was a feeling of wanting something so much, that I really wanted to do this. It wasn’t as easy as some might like to think; it was tough, but I saw it through and I’m proud that I did.” Focusing on what lies aheadlies aheadahead Chemas and Perez are confident that their presence will open up doors for other females who wish to join the force in the future. They claim that their new colleagues and the community has greeted them with acceptance. “It’s great to see that the community has accepted us,” said Perez. “Though we have been on the force for only a year, I feel the department has welcomed us and hasn’t treated us any different from anyone else.” The new officers say their goal is to serve the community with patience, endurance and the commitment to keeping the streets safer. “It takes a lot of patience to do this job, but the bottom line is to be able to be a police officer and respond to any given situation. I feel that something I try to do everyday,” said Perez. Officer Chemas agreed. “Having patience in everyday interaction with people is something I think you need to do any job, especially when you’re a police officer,” she said. “You don’t always come into work having a good day because we all experience our bad days. But having discretion is an element of being able to put on that game face and really know how your actions will affect others. You don’t always know what situation you may encounter, so how we approach our jobs every day does make a difference.” Chemas has taken on duties in the department as a radio dispatcher and administrator and looks forward to advancing her career in law enforcement. Perez is pleased about her job in the West New York Honor Guard, which she believes give her a good foundation to eventually work in different divisions in the department. Overcoming the past Mayor Albio Sires believes that the addition of women to the police department is a positive development that will rebuild its standing in the community after suffering a tumultuous year of corruption charges resulting in the arrests and convictions of 11 police officers, including the former Police Chief Alexander Oriente. “I feel the message is clear when I say this is a different department than what I inherited several years ago,” Sires said last week. “I’m very proud of the remarkable turnaround the department has made and here we have two female Hispanic officers who can be present and be positive additions to a force that I feel is more visible and responsive to the needs of the community. It’s great to have them aboard and we wish them both the best on their continued success with the department.” Public Safety Commissioner Sal Vega who, along with Sires and Pelliccio, has been instrumental in restructuring the department to render it more effective, spoke highly of the two female officers and commended them for their courage and commitment to the department and their community. “They serve as a tremendous example of the quality of officers we have here on the force,” he said at the commissioners’ meeting on Feb. 9. “Both are exceptional young officers who deserve to be recognized for the work they have accomplished, and they are a great example of how the department is shaping up. Today, we have 35 supervisors and 123 officers in the department and their addition only promotes the change we would like to see continue.”
New police officers are first women to join department
