Sixty-six officers graduate from Camden County College's Police Academy 's Special Law Enforcement Officers II, Class #3.
GLOUCESTER TWP. -- The Camden County College Police Academy held its graduation ceremony for Special Law Enforcement Officers II, Class #3, Thursday night at Highland Regional High School.
Friends and family of the 66 new officers packed the auditorium and cheered as the class was introduced and marched down the two aisles to begin the ceremony.
"On January 3rd, this group of police recruits entered the academy to begin the process of becoming police officers," said Stephen Addezio, director of the academy, overseeing his last graduation before retiring.
The class attended 10-hour sessions, 6 days a week, for 11 weeks.
"By becoming a police officer, you are held to a higher standard than others," said Addezio. "Never compromise your integrity or professionalism. Treat all with dignity and respect."
Outstanding achievement awards were given out to five different officers. The Firearms Award was presented to Officer Joncarlos Rodriguez, who achieved a perfect score.
The Academic Award was presented to Officer Jonathan Sanchez-Vargas; the Physical Training Award was presented to Officer Brett Small; the Emergency Vehicle Operations Award was presented to Officer Matthew Stollenwerk; and the Administrator Robert D. Melson Award was presented to Officer H.A. Hess.
Following the awards presentation, Addezio was honored for his years of service to the academy.
"It is clear that your dedication to our recruits has made a huge positive impact on them and the communities they serve," said Don Borden, Camden County College president.
Of the 66 graduates, 50 will stay in Camden County, 13 will be starting their careers with the Atlantic City Police Department, two with the Keansburg Police Department and one with the Bridgeton Police Department.
Camden County Police Department: Luis Almonte, Thalia Aviles, Brett D. Barden Jr., Kyle Bowman, Tyrone Brown, Omari Clark, Urbano Concepcion III, Tyler Correll, Luis Cruz, Marcus G. Cuevas, Jose Delvalle, Timothy Freeman Jr., Clayton Gonzalez, Russell Harris Sr., Brian Hart, Jose Henriquez, Alfred Hess, Daniel Hovern, Paul Iacovoni Jr., Eric Johnson Jr., Colin Lex, Dante Liccketto, Leo G. Lopez, Melitza M. Lopez, Patrick Martina, Juan Martinez, Dn Morton, Paul P. Nguyen, Peter Nguyen, Patrick O'Hanlon, Salvatore Oldrati, William Ortiz Jr., Giovanni Portobanco, Jonathan Reveron, Joncarlos Rodriguez, Anthony Roman, Dalvyn Rosado, Vincent Russomanno, Peter Sanchez, Wilfredo Sanchez Jr., Jonathan Sanchez-Vargas, Patrick Slemmer, Brett Small, Raymond Taylor, David Torres Jr., Eduardo L. Troche, Steven VinaMarte, John Williams.
Atlantic City Police Department: Alim Adams, Brandon Bower, Malcolm Brown, Rashawn Cochran, Shayne Dugan, Janicquea Harold, Richard Link, Kyle Ragland, Nicholas Rivera, Matthew Stollenwerk Jr., Warren Young III, Bayron Zelaya-Chavez, Kleovoulos Zissimopoulos.
Keansburg Police Department: Joseph Breheny, Lars J. Skelly.
Runnemede Police Department: Christian VanAuken.
Bridgeton Police Department: Rodney Yamasaki Jr.
Oaklyn Police Department: John J. Bryszewski Jr.
Tim Hawk may be reached at thawk@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @photogthawk. Find NJ.com on Facebook.