The Gloucester County Police Academy will hold its 32nd special officer II class graduation ceremony on Wednesday, March 18, at 3 p.m. in the physical education center on the Rowan College of South Jersey’s (RCSJ) Gloucester campus.
Opening remarks will be made by the RCSJ Board of Trustees Chairperson Gene J. Concordia. Sheriff Robert Austino, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department, will give the keynote address. Concordia, Austino and RCSJ Vice President of Student Services, Judith Atkinson, will award the diplomas.
The officers and their counties are:
Burlington County: Zachary James Browne, Mount Holly; Thomas L. Hill, North Hanover Twp.; Altan Ozgurel, Burlington City.
Camden County: Keith J. Cole, Magnolia; Daniel P. Moody, Jr., Bellmawr.
Gloucester County: Brannan Carter, Jr. and Nicholas A. Duca, Greenwich Twp.; Kyle E. Fisler, Justin M. Inman, and Jonas Nathaniel Pagliarini, Washington Twp.; Nicholas J. Sarin and Daniel Howard Schmittinger, Glassboro.
Special awards will be given at the ceremony for academics, marksmanship, vehicle operations, dedication, physical fitness, and professionalism.
Special officer II graduates are authorized to exercise full powers and duties similar to those of a permanent, regularly appointed, full-time police officer. The trainees must complete instruction, including professional development, criminal justice system, police-community relations, law, arrest, search-and-seizure, evidence, communications, vehicle operations, emergency medical care, weaponry, and unarmed defense; patrol concepts; agency training.
The course is conducted on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, and sessions began on Aug. 12 of last year. In addition to the night classes, the recruits are also required to participate in three physical fitness evaluation tests, six days of firearms training and five vehicle operations sessions.
Rowan College of South Jersey’s 250-acre Gloucester campus is located on Tanyard Road in Sewell, just off exit 56 of route 55.