Newly sworn in Mercer County Correction Officers pose with Freeholders, front row from left, Pasquale Colavita, Ann Cannon, Warden Charles Ellis and Freeholder Anthony Carabelli on March 21, 2014.
The fifth class of corrections officers graduated from Mercer Police Academy at Kelsey Theatre March 21.
An audience of hundreds of family members, friends and members of a number of law enforcement agencies witnessed the class of 30 cadets as each received graduation certificates to officially make them corrections officers.
Cadets wore the uniforms of the county corrections departments they will join, which include Mercer, Middlesex, Camden, Burlington and Warren.
The graduates endured 10 weeks of training at the academy in all aspects of law enforcement. During training, the class studied in disciplines such as use of force, firearms and hostage negotiation, among others.
The cadets chose Ewing resident Jazmin Jones as class speaker. She told her class members that even though they entered the academy as individuals, through rigorous training and team-building work they have learned the importance of relying on each other and have become a family.
Three cadets also received awards for their excellence in training. Vincent Aroneo of Plainsboro received the Academy Achievement Award; Jose Gonzalez of Trenton received the Physical Training Award; and Preetkaran Singh of Iselin received the Firearms Training Award.
Several graduates are set to the Mercer County corrections department. Those graduates are Stephen Arnold, Terrence Crawford, Christopher Crum, Jazmin Jones and Matthew Mesday (Ewing); Gregory Danley, Nicholas Mauro, Nicholas Nicolini, and Jowana Phillips (Hamilton); Germaine Bryson, Jose Gonzalez and Robert McClees (Trenton).
They are the fifth corrections class of the academy, which was created in January 2007. The Academy is located on the grounds of Mercer County Community College.
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