Montclair Swears In 3 New Probationary Police Officers

Montclair welcomed three new probationary police officers to the township during a swearing-in ceremony last week at the township Council Chambers.

According to a release, the three officers will undergo a field training program in which each will be paired with specially trained, experienced patrol officers or FTOs. The training curriculum covers a wide number of topics ranging from departmental operations, at-scene criminal investigations, and handling domestic violence incidents, to traffic enforcement and issues of homeland security.

The trainees rotate through different instructors and shifts while receiving daily standardized evaluations based on performance. These evaluations are periodically reviewed by the field training program supervisor. Progress is then assessed prior to the officers’ completion of training and final assignment to the Patrol Division by the Chief of Police.

The three new probationary officers are:

Officer Michael J. Medrano graduated from Montclair State University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice. Officer Medrano served previously as a dispatcher with the Montclair State University Police Department in 2013, and then as a police officer in 2014. He graduated from the Passaic County Police Academy in September of 2014 where he was ranked third in his class and received the marksmanship award, scoring 99.4 percent. Officer Medrano will wear badge #267.

Officer Stephen J. Seifried earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice from John Jay College in December 2014. He previously served as a dispatcher with the Wayne and Pompton Lakes police departments and was a Class II Special Police Officer with the Pompton Lakes Police Department. Officer Seifried also serves in the Marine Corps reserve as an infantry rifleman, attaining the rank of corporal. He completes his service in in the reserve in January of 2016. Officer Seifried graduated in 2015 from the Passaic County Police Academy’s Alternate Route program which is self-funded by the trainee. Officer Seifried will wear badge #268.

Officer Brianna M. Grochowski graduated from Ocean County Community College in May 2014 with an Associates Degree in liberal arts. Officer Grochowski served as a Class I Special Police Officer (2014) and Class II Special Police Officer (2015) with the Point Pleasant Police Department. She graduated from the Ocean County Police Academy as a Class II Special Police Officer in May of this year. During her service with the Point Pleasant Police Department, she was selected through competitive resume submission to the department’s bike unit in the patrol division. Officer Grochowski will wear badge #269.

Photos courtesy of Montclair Township