Five New Officers Join Woodbridge Police Department

Five new officers have joined the ranks of the Woodbridge Police Department.

The five officers recently completed training at the Monmouth County Police Training Academy and will begin patrolling the streets of Woodbridge, according to a township news release.

“I am pleased to announce the appointment of five new police officers to the ranks of the Woodbridge Township Police Department,” Mayor John E. McCormac said in a prepared statement. “The public safety mission of the Woodbridge Police Department is our most important priority. As a result of our commitment to public safety, combined with the increased assignment of uniformed officers to street patrol, the Woodbridge Police Department continues to maintain police ranks at maximum staffing levels to effectively protect public safety.”

According to the news release:

The five were sworn in Tuesday. All are U.S. military veterans who served in the combat zones of Iraq or Afghanistan.

• Officer Kevin John Smith, 29, of Woodbridge, graduated from Woodbridge High School in 2003. He served for five years in Army, as a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, and he obtained the rank of staff sergeant. He was awarded four Army Achievement Medals, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal (with Star), the Global War on Terrorism Medal, two Overseas Service ribbons, Parachutist Badge, and a Combat Infantryman’s Badge. He was most recently employed as a corrections officer at the Middlesex County Youth Services Facility.
• Officer Michael Henry Cifelli, 27, of the Colonia section of town is a 2005 graduate of Colonia High School. He is a Field Artillery Specialist in the New Jersey National Guard. His unit was deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Cifelli was awarded two Army Achievement Medals, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal. He is also a volunteer firefighter in Colonia.
• Officer Justin Vergara Cagaoan, 24, of the Colonia section of town, graduated from Union Catholic High School in 2008. He joined the Marines and was deployed to Afghanistan, where he earned a Combat Action Ribbon, two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal (with two bronze service stars), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the USMC Good Conduct Medal. Gagaoan was most recently employed as an emergency medical technician with the Woodbridge and Colonia First Aid Squads.
• Officer Joseph Thomas Scarano III, 27, of Woodbridge is a 2006 Woodbridge High School graduate. He joined the Marines and was deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, where he earned the Iraq Campaign Medal (with one bronze service star), the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons and the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal.
• Officer David Alexander Barahona, 25, of the lselin section of town, is a 2007 graduate of Elizabeth High School. He served as an Operations Specialist in the Navy. He earned the Navy Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons. He is attending Middlesex County College, studying criminal justice.

Photos courtesy Woodbridge Township

Photo: left to right, Police Officer David Alexander Barahona; Police Officer Joseph Thomas Scarano III; Police Officer Justin Vergara Cagaoan; Police Officer Michael Henry Cifelli; and Police Officer Kevin John Smith.

Photo: left to right, Joseph Nisky, Deputy Director, Woodbridge Police Department; Councilwoman Debbie Meehan (Fifth Ward); Robert Hubner, Director, Woodbridge Police Department; WPD Police Officers David Alexander Barahona; Police Officer Joseph Thomas Scarano III; Police Officer Justin Vergara Cagaoan; Police Officer Michael Henry Cifelli; and Police Officer Kevin John Smith; Captain Roy Hoppock, WPD, Mayor John E. McCormac; Councilwoman Nancy Drumm (First Ward)