NORTH BERGEN – Mayor Nicholas Sacco and Chief of Police Robert Dowd swore in the newest members of the North Bergen Police Department on April 13 at the North Bergen Town Hall Municipal Chambers. Four of the new Police Officers are military veterans and one is a woman, expanding the number of female Police Officers in a department that’s nearly 12 percent women. “It is an honor to welcome these fine new officers to the Police Department,” said Mayor Nicholas Sacco on April 13 while swearing in five new officers. “The North Bergen Police Department is one of the best in the state of New Jersey and the township is very fortunate to have such dedicated men and women keeping our community safe.”
“The officers being sworn-in today are a true representation of our community,” said Chief of Police Robert Dowd. “Thanks to Mayor Sacco’s resident-only hiring policy we have managed to build a department that’s nearly 60 percent Hispanic and 12 percent women. We are very proud of these officers and we are happy to welcome them to the North Bergen Police Department.”
• Jennifer Fernandez is a lifelong North Bergen resident and the daughter of an NBPD sergeant and wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps. Fernandez was hired by the Cliffside Park Police Department as a special police officer in 2012, and in 2014 was hired by Hudson County Sheriff’s Office as a sheriff’s officer.
• Cristobal Lara-Nunez was born in Colombia and immigrated to the United States at the age of six. He served in the Army Reserve for eight years with a deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. While on tour his vehicle was struck with an IED and he was awarded the Purple Heart for his injuries. After his military service he joined the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office.
• Xavier Romo enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after he graduated from Memorial High School in West New York in 2002. During his four years of honorable service in the Marine Corps, he was deployed twice to Afghanistan and once to Iraq. After his military service, Romo joined the Hudson County Department of Corrections in 2009 and was hired by the Hudson County Sheriff’s Department in 2014.
• Jorge Vanegas enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after high school and served for four years, deployed to Japan in 2009 and Afghanistan in 2011. After his military career, Vanegas enrolled in Bergen Community College.
• Felix Vargas served for six years in the United States Navy. His service included three Mediterranean tours and one South American tour.
The five new police officers will join almost 35 officers the township has hired over the past three years.
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