Like many officers before him, Carlos A. Moreno, 32, followed in his family’s tradition when he was sworn in as a West New York police officer Tuesday.
"I’ve always had the desire to serve the community in a positive way," said Moreno, adding that his father, grandfather and uncle were police officers before him. "The kids in the community need to be able to look at police officers as role models in their community," he said.
Moreno was one of three new officers sworn into the department during a ceremony held in the second floor court chambers in Town Hall on 60th Street. Jerry Maury and Cesar Reynoso were the other two officers sworn in during the ceremony.
West New York Mayor Albio Sires said that this is the fewest number of officers sworn in at one time in the department. However, Sires added that approximately 60 new police officers were added to the department in the last few years.
According to Police Director Joseph Pelliccio, these officers will be part of the Urban Enterprise Zone patrol officers in the community policing unit. The officers began active duty Wednesday.
"These officers will be on foot," said Pelliccio, adding that these three officers will also be attending Passaic County Police Academy again in September for bicycle training.
Pelliccio said that these officers, along with two more recruits currently attending departmental training and the police academy, will bring the department up to its maximum number of officers, 123.
This number was reached when the department was reorganized by ordinance in 1999. The organizational structure was passed one year after several officers were charged with on-the-job corruption and suspended. Prior to the reorganization, the department’s ratio of superiors to officers was about one to one.
The reorganization allows the department 123 officers and 38 superiors, including one deputy director, one deputy chief, five captains, 14 lieutenants and 17 sergeants.
"I think 123 is a good number [of officers] to have," said Pelliccio. "Some people say we need more, but I am comfortable with that number."
Commissioner of Public Safety Sal Vega was unable to attend the ceremony. Vega, who is also a Hudson County freeholder, was held up in a county budget hearing.
Becoming an officer
Even though Reynoso and Maury are not following in their family’s footsteps, both have always wanted to be police officers.
"This is something that I have always been looking forward to," said Reynoso, 24, a West New York resident for the past eight years. "There is nothing that I would rather do."
"I’ve always wanted to be a police officer, but it takes a while," said Jerry Maury, 31, who came to West New York from Cuba when he was 17 years old. "I started taking the test in 1997."
Maury was a technician for Verizon before being sworn in as a police officer.
Although these officers were sworn in just last week, they have been with the department for 20 weeks already. These new officers graduated from the Passaic County Police Academy, an 18-week training academy, on July 26. The officers also underwent two weeks of departmental training prior to attending the police academy and after the academy.