Poveromo Named Lawrence Police 'Officer of the Year'

Marc Poveromo has battled blazes as a firefighter and saved lives as an emergency medical technician.

But that’s not all.

He’s also one of the men and women who, as Lawrence Township police officers, patrol our streets to help keep us safe.

It’s in that latter role that he is currently being honored. He has been named Lawrence Township’s 2012 Police Officer of the Year, a recognition awarded to him by a panel of his peers on the police department.

Poveromo will be recognized by Lawrence Township Council at the start of tomorrow’s council meeting and a banquet will be held in his honor on June 4. Tomorrow’s proceedings coincide with National Police Week, an annual observance since President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation in 1962 naming May 15 National Peace Officers Memorial Day.

“I grew up in Ewing, but I’ve been involved in some aspect of Lawrence for the last 20 years or so,” Poveromo, 39, said during a recent interview. He lives in Lawrence with his wife and their 8-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son.

“When I was at Notre Dame [High School] we had to do community service. I joined West Trenton Fire Co. [in Ewing] to get my service done. It just kind of went from there. Since that point, my senior year in high school, I’ve always been involved in some aspect of emergency services,” he said.

After joining the volunteer fire company in Ewing, he became a volunteer emergency medical technician for Lawrence Township First Aid Squad back in 1992. After earning a B.S. in environmental science from Rutgers University, he took a job as an EMT in Camden, working for University of Medicine and Dentistry, New Jersey. To this day, he still works part-time for UMDNJ to keep his emergency medical skills fresh.

“I got a job in Plainsboro as a paid EMT, then I went to Washington Township where I was a paid firemen for two years before coming here [to Lawrence as a police officer]. I’ve sort of made the natural progression from EMS to fire to law enforcement,” he related.

Hired as a police officer in Lawrence in March 2004, Poveromo attended the Trenton Police Academy.

“I knew what I was getting into,” he said when asked about the police academy. “When I worked in Plainsboro, we were part of the police department there, so I saw what the police did. Our supervisor was the police captain. So I had a good idea what law enforcement was about, what the deal was. I do remember my first day in the academy. It was the shout-down day. I really did question my decision that first day. But I stuck with it.”

Upon graduating from the police academy, Poveromo spent his first three months on patrol in Lawrence training with Officer Robert Loveless. Now-retired Sgt. Thomas Macheda was one of Poveromo’s first supervisors, helping him make the transition from classroom training to real street police work.

After being on patrol alone for a few weeks, Poveromo found himself investigating a car theft. He solved the crime and the vehicle was located in Philadelphia. “That was my first big call. That always stands out in my mind,” he said.

More recently, he’s been the officer on his shift responsible for investigating motor vehicle accidents, a job that involves “a lot of math, physics and reasoning.”

Poveromo investigated the at Route 206 and Eggerts Crossing Road. As one of the first officers to arrive on the scene, Poveromo’s emergency medical skills were put to good use as he helped care for the then 83-year-old Sebasto, who suffered nine broken ribs, three fractured vertebrae in his spine, a fractured leg and a punctured lung.

Being selected as Police Officer of the Year means a lot to him, Poveromo said.   

“I’m very honored that the department chose me. I can’t really say I’ve had that call where you get 10 guns or 10 pounds of cocaine out of a car. But every day I come in and I do my job. I do the best job I can,” he said.

Poveromo’s wife was thrilled upon hearing the news of her husband’s honor. But the couple’s daughter was even more excited. “She’s going around telling everyone, ‘My daddy is Officer of the Year,’” he said with a chuckle.

While the job can be tough at times, it is definitely worthwhile, Poveromo said.

“We are out there in all conditions - rain, snow, sleet, hurricanes; we work holidays, weekend. I can’t tell you how many things with my kids I’ve missed that I should have been at,” he said. “But I love my job. I love the people that I work with. I’m happy with where I’m at at this point in my life. I wouldn’t change anything.”

Asked to offer some advice to today’s youth, Poveromo encouraged all students – both those considering careers in law enforcement and those who are not – to take advantage of the educational opportunities offered to them.

“Stay in school, stay out of trouble. Be respectful to everyone,” he said. “A lot of kids don’t understand that the choices they make now will affect them later on. You need to think about your actions and what consequences they may have later on in life.

“As for law enforcement, it’s a very rewarding career, especially if you have a service-oriented personality where you’re in to helping people. There are so many things you can do in law enforcement, no matter what background you come from.”