Monmouth County Police Academy Graduates 25

The municipal police force in Monmouth County welcomed 25 new members to its ranks. The Monmouth County Police Academy graduated its 37th class of officers in Freehold on Thursday.

The new police officers will serve in Belmar, Manasquan, Long Branch, Monmouth Beach, Spring Lake, and West Long Branch.

“This class rose to the challenge and excelled. Today you are no longer recruits. Today, you have earned the right to be called police officers,” Monmouth County Police Academy Director David I. Morris said.

The Class II special officers had to receive an assignment from an area police department in order to take the 610-hour course offered at the Monmouth County Police Academy. Special officers are hired by municipalities to work on an hourly basis rather than as salaried employees. Class I special officers do not carry weapons and their police power is limited to traffic control and issuing summonses, while Class II officers carry weapons and have full police powers when on duty. Shore-area towns frequently hire special officers to supplement the full-time police force during the summer months.

Several officers in the graduating class were recognized for their performance: Aaron F. Lay received the Academic Award and the Merit Award; Benjamin J. Springer, received the Marksmanship Award and the Outstanding Trainee Award; Edward Junquet received the Physical Training Award; and Sean Duggan received the Traffic Officers Association Award and the Merit Award.

Freeholder Lillian Burry said the officers would be looked to not only as public servants, but as role models.

“All of you will be tested in a way most people do not understand. You will answer the call and place your lives on the line because that is what you are trained to do,” Burry said. “As police officers you will make our communities better and safer places to live.”

The full list of new officers:

James M. Albanese, Manasquan Police Department
Nicholas W. Austin, Manasquan Police Department
David J. Bowen, Belmar Police Department
Ryan Bradely, Belmar Police Department
Matthew T. Brown, Belmar Police Department
Ryan M. Buck, West Long Branch Police Department
Christopher J. Devlin, Belmar Police Department
Sean Duggan, Spring Lake Police Department
David C. Ebert II, Long Branch Police Department
Sean Hauschildt, Long Branch Police Department
Dalton Jacob, Belmar Police Department
Edward Junquet, Monmouth Beach Police Department
William E. Kelly, Spring Lake Police Department
Aaron F. Lay, Belmar Police Department
Christopher Makwinski, Belmar Police Department
John Mania, Long Branch Police Department
Brian O’Keefe, Long Branch Police Department
Brian Oliveira, Long Branch Police Department
Felicia N. Pappalardo, Manasquan Police Department
Michael A. Rzigalinski, Belmar Police Department
Daniel Schlisserman, Belmar Police Department
Benjamin J. Springer, Long Branch Police Department
Anthony D. Steneck, Belmar Police Department
Michael Thompson, Jr., Belmar Police Department
James Tiggs III, Long Branch Police Department