The Manchester Township Police Department is proud to announce that six new Auxiliary Police Officers took their oaths on May 23, 2016, during a ceremony in the Municipal Complex Civic Center. These Auxiliary Police Officers were sworn in to their volunteer positions before Chief Lisa Parker, other Manchester Township Police Officers, and their friends and family.
The graduation marks the completion of training which began on April 17 and concluded on May 22 of this year. The officers completed approximately 50 hours of training and will begin field training by current Auxiliary Police officers. While the State of New Jersey requires only 36 hours of training for Auxiliary Officers, Manchester far exceeded the State minimum requirement.
“As an Auxiliary Officer in Manchester Township, you’ll have the opportunity to be surrounded by some of the best Police Officers in the State,” said Chief Lisa Parker, who also commended the recruits for volunteering their time to better their community. “This is a great accomplishment for all of you. Today is a proud day.”
Manchester Township Police Officers who served as instructors for the Auxiliary Police Academy included Sgt. Richard Mazza, Ptl. Jason Wiener and Ptl. Patrick Cervenak. The graduation of this class marks the third time the Manchester Township Police Department has conducted an in-house basic Auxiliary Police Academy. This volunteer arm of the police department assists with non-enforcement type activities such as crowd control at events, courtroom security and general uniformed patrols throughout the Township. Additionally, the unit is activated to assist the Manchester Police during severe weather and declared State of Emergencies.
The Auxiliary Officers were trained in different subject areas ranging from patrol functions, traffic control, police vehicle operations, crowd control, criminal law, preservation of evidence, court operations, first aid, CPR, police radio communications, use of force, domestic violence, report writing, and police ethics, just to name a few.
The process for these six Auxiliary Officers began in December of 2015 when applications were made available to the public. The selection process and standards to become an Auxiliary Officer are similar to that of a regular police officer. The candidates passed a rigorous background check as well. All auxiliary officers are held to the highest standards consistent with that of the Manchester Township Police Department.
Congratulations to our incoming Auxiliary Officers: Cirilo Hernandez, Joseph A. Dellavella, Michael R. Kelliher, Richard H. Sargeant, Susana D. Mahecha-Benitez, and Christian A. Hernandez. For more information about the Auxiliary Police Unity, please visitwww.manchesterpolicenj.com/auxiliary-police.