Community Corner

Belleville Cops, Firefighters Earn 'Well-Earned' Promotions: Officials

Town Manager: "Belleville is proud of these brave first responders who have dedicated their lives to safeguarding our communities."

Nine police officers in Belleville earned promotions at a congratulatory ceremony held on Thursday.
Nine police officers in Belleville earned promotions at a congratulatory ceremony held on Thursday. (Township of Belleville)

BELLEVILLE, NJ — More than a dozen police officers and firefighters in Belleville recently earned promotions at a congratulatory ceremony held last week.

Police Chief Mark Minichini announced that Pasquale Complitano has been promoted to captain; Matthew Dox, Cheryl Lopez and Gary Devito have been promoted to lieutenant; and Anthony Damico, Andy Jimenez, Michael Povinelli, Steven Plumer and Justin Versprill have been promoted to sergeant.

Fire Chief John Olivieri announced that William Hands, Steven Salzer, Brian Salmon, Francis Alfano and Jose Perez have been promoted to battalion chief; and Tyler Quarantiello, Carl Piscatowski and Joseph Lunelli have been promoted to lieutenant.

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In addition to the promotions, six new Belleville firefighters were sworn in during the ceremony: Vincent Agosta, Brian Antonio, Andrew Brenneman, Anthony Cifelli, Zaid Hassen and Nicholas Marques.

“We welcome these new recruits into what really is a family,” Olivieri said. “We look out for
one another while we are looking out for the people of Belleville.”

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The ranks of the police department will soon be growing, as well; 10 recruits are undergoing training at Essex County’s police training academy, Belleville officials said.

“Belleville is proud of these brave first responders who have dedicated their lives to safeguarding
our communities,” Township Manager Anthony Iacono said.

“These promotions are well-earned,” Minichini said. “The members of the police and fire
departments whose promotions were recognized at this ceremony have conducted themselves
with the utmost professionalism and demonstrated an uncommon dedication to Belleville.”

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