Edward Curry, a 25-year veteran of the North Bergen police department, first took the promotional test to become a sergeant six years ago.
"Shame on me," Curry said. "If I had studied harder that time, I would have made it then."
Curry had placed 15th on the list, and only two were elevated at that time. Soon after, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) filed a lawsuit against the township and the police department, stating that both the hiring and promotional processes were racially biased. The lawsuit and subsequent litigation put a halt on any new hiring as well as any further promotions.
Curry bided his time, serving dutifully as a decorated member of the department’s detective bureau.
"It’s all a matter of timing," Curry said. "It’s all about when positions become available. I didn’t think much of it at the time. I just hoped for another shot."
After two years, the lawsuit with the NAACP was settled, so the police department could go back to offering promotional tests once again.
So Curry, whose wife, Debbie Cummins-Curry, is the township’s first female detective, took the sergeant’s test again.
So did Patrolman Randolph Homer, a nine-year veteran of the department and a North Bergen native, although Homer was taking the test for the first time.
"I was just hoping that it would be the first step of my long career," Homer said. "I didn’t expect to get picked on the first try."
But Homer was.
Curry and Homer were promoted Wednesday to the rank of sergeant, while Inspector Benjamin Ortega was promoted to the rank of Detective, during a ceremony at Town Hall.
According to North Bergen Police Chief Angelo Busacco, the promotions were just a part of a process to keep as many superior officers on the job as possible.
"We are anticipating some retirements from superior officers by the end of the year, so this is part of our continuing process to keep our staffing intact," Busacco said. "All three officers are worthy for promotion, ranging from Ortega, who has been on the force for three years, to a veteran like Curry, who has 25 years on the job. We’re moving right along with our promotional list."
Started in the Bronx
Thirty-four-year-old Benjamin Ortega first spent three years on the New York City police department, working out of a tough precinct in the south Bronx. He moved to North Bergen three years ago and sought to become an officer here.
"It’s a different way of life," Ortega said. "I think I’ll be able to use my past experiences in New York to use in investigative work and in undercover to handle cases. It’s a great opportunity for me."
Busacco said that it was important to promote Ortega to detective because he is Hispanic and bilingual.
"He’s the second Hispanic detective we have," Busacco said. "That’s quite important."
The 33-year-old Homer has been a patrol officer since he joined the force and will remain in that capacity, albeit now as a supervisor.
"I’m very excited about this," said Homer, who has a one-year-old son, Andrew, and another on the way. "I know I’m going to have to delegate more of the duties now. I think my fellow patrolmen are happy for me and they know I’ll do a good job. It’s an honor that the township has bestowed on me. It makes me feel fortunate to receive this at such an early age."
Curry didn’t want to think about how long of a wait it took for him to finally receive the overdue promotion.
"I’m just fortunate that it all worked out for me," said Curry, who now becomes the superior officer of the household, since he worked side-by-side with his wife in the detective bureau for the last few years. "I hoped for another shot and I got it. I’m very grateful."
North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco applauded the promoted officers.
"I think it’s great for the individual officers who worked hard to get promoted," Sacco said. "I’m very happy for them and their families. They have been out there, risking their lives for the residents of North Bergen. This is our way of saying thank you for their hard work and will lead to a safer future."