44 Cadets Graduate From The Mercer County Police Academy

EAST WINDSOR, NJ — The Mercer County Police Academy recently held its commencement ceremony at the gymnasium at Mercer County Community College (MCCC) and 44 cadets made up the 28th basic class of police officers.

Family members, friends, Mercer County officials and law enforcement officials from around New Jersey were present for the ceremony.

The graduates endured 21 weeks of training at the academy and will now serve in police agencies within Mercer County and elsewhere. The academy, which was created in October 2006, is located on the grounds of MCCC.

Plainsboro's Ian Palmer, who will join the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office, was chosen as class speaker. Palmer noted that while class members didn’t all follow the same path to reach the Police Academy, they share certain things in common.

“Each of us is driven by a desire to better ourselves and our communities,” Palmer said. “To be a leader and a role model for others, to be the person one can turn to for aid in their most dire of moments, during any crisis minor or substantial. To stand ready, willing and able to enforce and uphold the laws of this great nation for all those who reside within her as our oath commands us.”

Palmer reminded his classmates that they would have to continue learning throughout their careers.

“We will continue to be tested, and it is our duty to push beyond what we first thought ourselves able to achieve, as we have done since our first day together as a class,” Palmer said.

During training, cadets are given lessons on use of force, firearms, vehicle pursuit, hostage negotiation, advanced crime scene processing and domestic violence prevention, among other disciplines.

The Mercer Police Academy consists of two classrooms designed for the needs of law enforcement training, and recruits use MCCC grounds, its library and gymnasium for training. The campus includes a padded training room that is used for “defensive tactics” classes. A shooting range in Hopewell Township operated by the prosecutor’s office is part of the academy as well.

Here's a list of the graduates, their hometowns and the law enforcement agency each will join:

• Bridgewater Township Police Department: Arthur Akins Jr., Somerville; Justin Anno, Ringoes; Hanif McClinton, Piscataway; Noel Rosado Jr., Metuchen; Masyn Sanchez, Dover
• Burlington County Sheriff’s Office: Andrew Farr, Medford; Joseph Iacovitti, Burlington
• Ewing Township Police Department: Gabriel Berdecia, Ewing; Alim Djemilev, Ewing; Estephan Hernandez, Ewing; Holly Oswald-Kardos, Ewing; Jason Ulrich, Ewing
• Hamilton Township Police Division: Thomas Horne, Hamilton; Todd Jewell, Hamilton; William Rafferty, Hamilton
• Lawrence Township Police Department: Stephen Sikora, Lawrence
• Mercer County Sheriff’s Office: Anthony Johnson, Hamilton
• Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office: Anthony Badawy, North Brunswick; Tyrone Cabbell, Perth Amboy; David Chehade, North Brunswick; Michael Cipriani, Piscataway; Christian Collazo, Woodbridge; Deanna Ehrhardt, North Brunswick; Craig Elliott, New Brunswick; Christopher Johnson, South Brunswick; Joseph Medina, Piscataway; Tyler Morris, Highland Park; Ian Palmer, Plainsboro; Ervin Ramos, Piscataway; Nicholas Smith, South Amboy;
• New Jersey State Human Services Police Department: Michelle Pistone, Lumberton; Joshua Rosenel, Lambertville
• New Jersey Transit Police Department: Meryem Adina, Harrison; Julia Blahut, Pompton Plains; Nathalie Cook, Bayonne; Amber Crispin, Little Falls; Ian Gaynor, Point Pleasant Beach; Mark Schmidt, Woodland Park; Tara Soscia, Bayonne
• Pemberton Township Police Department: Cezar Martinez Nieto, Pemberton
• The College of New Jersey Police Department: Alex Mariani, Morrisville
• Trenton Police Department: Nicholas DiLissio, Hamilton
• Washington Township Police Department: Christopher Santamaria, Hackettstown; Anthony Spiridigliozzi, Washington

This press release was produced by the Mercer County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.