Gloucester County Police Academy to Graduation

The Gloucester County Police Academy will hold its 31st Special Officer II Class graduation ceremony on Wednesday, March 20, at 3 p.m. in the Physical Education Center on the Rowan College at Gloucester County (RCGC) campus.

Opening remarks will be made by RCGC Board of Trustees Chairperson Gene J. Concordia. The keynote address will be given by Chief Franklin Brown (Ret.), Glassboro Police Department. Concordia, Brown and RCGC Vice President of Academic Services, Dr. Brenden Rickards, will award the diplomas.

The officers and their counties are:

Burlington County: Woodley T. Duga and Sean Fitzpatrick, Burlington City; Evan Herold, Burlington Twp.

Camden County: Austin D. Rice, Collingswood; Luke Viola, Oaklyn; Mark Peiffer, Pine Hill; Robert W. Frett, Jr., Runnemede; Patrick Deitz, Stratford; Ty Scibilia, Winslow Twp.

Gloucester County: Ashley Ellis and Kyle Toal, Deptford Twp.; Carl-Joseph Bernardo, Dylan Landi, Sebastian Leon and Allyson Pennypacker, Glassboro; Zachary Funk and James Schmidt, Jr., Greenwich Twp.; Kevin J. Doherty, Steven Jackson, Wilfredo Matos, Gregory A. Myers and Joseph Russo, Washington Twp.

Middlesex County: John J. Glinka and Christopher Suydam, E. Brunswick.

Morris County: Paige Mosner, Netcong.

The class officers are Ty Scibilia, president; Allyson Pennypacker, vice-president; Ashley Ellis, secretary; Carl-Joseph Bernardo, treasurer/guidon; Joseph Russo, class leader; Wilfredo Matos, physical fitness leader.

Special awards will be given at the ceremony for academics, marksmanship, vehicle operations, dedication, physical fitness and professionalism.

Special Officer II graduates are authorized to exercise full powers and duties similar to those of a permanent, regularly appointed, full-time police officer. The trainees must complete instruction, including professional development, criminal justice system, police community relations, law, arrest, search and-seizure, evidence, communications, vehicle operations, emergency medical care, weaponry and unarmed defense; patrol concepts; traffic; criminal investigation; physical fitness; and agency training.

The course is conducted on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, and sessions began on Aug. 13, 2018. In addition to the night classes, the recruits are also required to participate in three physical fitness evaluation tests, six days of firearms training and five vehicle operations sessions.

Rowan College at Gloucester County’s 250-acre campus is located on Tanyard Road in Deptford, just off Exit 56 of Route 55.