Dec. 29 marked the final meeting of the Voorhees Township Committee for 2014.
While much of the meeting was the execution of routine year-end business such as budget transfers and approval of the 2015 fee schedule, a special occurrence that took place at the meeting was the appointment and swearing in of five new officers for the Voorhees Township Police Department.
The committee formally and unanimously approved the appointment of the officers first through resolution, and then before the meeting was adjourned, Mayor Michael Mignogna had each officer come forward before their family and friends to be officially sworn in.
The five officers sworn in were Michael Hagner, Michael Marchitto, Joseph Kavano, Kenneth Fowlkes and Chase Waldman.
Mignogna and the committee congratulated the five officers and welcomed them to the department.
Now having been sworn in, the officers will go through training at the police academy, with the hopes of starting their positions with the township some time in 2015.
According to Mignogna, the department has 47 officers, with three expected to retire soon, and the additional officers sworn in at the meeting will set the force close to 50 officers.
In addition to new officers in 2015, Mignogna recently spoke about some other happenings with the department in the coming year.
One change coming to the department is the transfer to a new e-ticketing system that will computerize the issuing of traffic tickets and thereby increase police force efficiency.
“It makes our officers’ jobs more efficient and gives them less time writing tickets and more time actually on the street,” Mignogna said.
Another police initiative in 2015 that Mignogna said the township and department were looking forward to is Voorhees Township’s second annual Jr. Police Academy.
The first academy took place this past summer, and according to Mignogna, about 20 kids between the ages of 12 and 15 went through a week of the Jr. Police Academy during which they engaged in physical fitness training, marching exercises, ceremonies and learned about motor vehicle laws, criminal laws, crime scene investigation and firearms.
“It was the first year last year (2014) and it filled up really quick and it was a cool thing,” Mignogna said. “I got to be a part of their graduation day.”
In addition to the academy, Mignogna said Voorhees Police Department Chief Louis Bordi will be continuing his work in 2015 toward the creation of the Memorial Garden, which will pay tribute to those lost in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“We have an artifact from the World Trade Center that’s going to be a part of that garden and it’s going to honor the victims of the 9/11 tragedies,” Mignogna said.
In other news:
The committee approved a resolution authorizing the search for a part-time police record clerk for the Voorhees Township Police Department.
