Greenwich Police Department Welcomes 4 New Officers

Information via Greenwich Police Department

GREENWICH, CT — The Greenwich Police Department recently welcomed four new police officers into the ranks, including two who grew up in town, according to an announcement from the GPD.

Gianna Cardini, Sybern Hoekstra, Gina Rivera and David Ruiz were sworn in recently during a brief ceremony at the Public Safety Complex in downtown Greenwich.

Cardini was born and raised in Greenwich and graduated from Greenwich High School. She then attended the University of New Hampshire where she earned a bachelor's degree in social work and justice studies. Cardini was a Greenwich Police Explorer in high school.

Hoekstra also grew up in town and graduated from GHS. He went to the University of Connecticut and earned a bachelor's degree in landscape architecture. He has been a volunteer with the Sound Beach Fire Department in Old Greenwich since 2016, and previously worked in ferry operations with the town.

Rivera is originally from Washingtonville, N.Y. She attended Mount Saint Mary's Colege and majored in psychology. She also has family connections to law enforcement, as her father is a retired officer from the New York City Police Department.

A native of Queens, N.Y., Ruiz graduated from SUNY Brockport with a bachelor's degree in sports management. His uncle serves as an officer with the Port Authority in New York.

The officers will now attend the Police Officer Standards and Training Council Police Academy in Meriden, CT, which begins on Oct. 5.

Upon their return in March, the officers will participate in 16 weeks of field training.