Post by admin on Sept 24, 2008 6:20:26 GMT -5
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Freehold police force welcomes 2 officers
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
Patrolwoman Zandra Vega and Patrolman Nicholas Iozzi are the newest additions to the Freehold Borough Police Department.
FREEHOLD — The roster at the Freehold Borough Police Department just got bigger.
Nicholas Iozzi, 29, of Freehold Township, and Zandra Vega, 30, of Freehold Borough, have joined the ranks of officers who serve and protect the community.
The police department now has 35 officers.
The two new officers took the oath of office at a Borough Council meeting on Sept. 2 surrounded by family members and fellow officers.
Iozzi grew up in Freehold Township and attended St. Mary's High School, South Amboy, and Seton Hall University, South Orange, graduating in 2001 with a degree in communications and public relations.
He said he became interested in the field of law enforcement while he was in college. Soon after graduation the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, took place and cemented his desire to pursue a career in police work.
"This was a job that would give me the opportunity to do something to help people," Iozzi said.
He said he also believed that working as a police officer would provide a dependable job with security.
He began working as a dispatcher for the Freehold Borough Police Department in 2003 and remained for almost three years, before entering the Monmouth County PoliceAcademy, Freehold Township. He spent 11 weeks training to become a Monmouth County Sheriff's Office corrections officer.
"The corrections officers training program entails some of the same training as a police officer," Iozzi said, "including the physical fitness training and firearms. In addition, we had to study correctional case law and we had to learn how the correctional system works."
Dealing with prisoners from all walks of life and learning how to take care of their problems using only communications skills is one aspect of training that Iozzi said he believes will benefit him in his job as a borough police officer.
"Corrections officers are not allowed to carry firearms inside the [jail]. All we had were a pair of handcuffs and our communications skills," he said.
Although Iozzi was raised in Freehold Township, he said he spent much of his time hanging out with his friends in downtown Freehold Borough.
"I've always seen a lot of pride in Freehold Borough," he said.
Iozzi said his goal right now is to learn everything he can about police work and Freehold Borough. In the future, Iozzi said, he is hoping to make a difference in the ongoing battle against drug abuse.
Vega, a native of Freehold Borough, attended borough public schools and graduated from Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, with a degree in elementary education. Her initial plan was to become a teacher. She said she always enjoyed working with children. Vega spent 11 years working with the YMCA in its summer recreation program as a counselor and then as a supervisor.
"Working with the children in the program allowed me to see many of their problems" Vega said. "I felt that becoming a police officer would allow me to give back to them in a different way than I was doing in the recreation program."
In 2003, Vega took a position as a case worker for the Monmouth County Social Services Department, working with the Family Care Division processing applications and offering families assistance. She applied to the police department in 2005. She remained a case worker with the county until she was hired by the Freehold Borough Police Department in 2008.
Vega said she is busy learning about the job of a police officer, but in the future she hopes to work with children in the community as a law enforcement officer.
Although Vega was born in the United States, her parents, Maria Cruz and Daniel Vega, were born in Puerto Rico. Vega said she believes her skills in English and Spanish will be a benefit as she interacts with the borough's Latino residents.
Vega lives in Freehold Borough with her 11-year-old son and also has sole custody of a 13-year-old family member.
New police officers hired in the borough have 12 weeks of supervision and training by two veteran officers, according to Sgt. Michael Sweetman, who is the department's field training officer supervisor.
"They are shadowed by veteran police officers who evaluate their progress on a daily basis," Sweetman said. "They spend six weeks with each of the two training officers."
Freehold police force welcomes 2 officers
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
Patrolwoman Zandra Vega and Patrolman Nicholas Iozzi are the newest additions to the Freehold Borough Police Department.
FREEHOLD — The roster at the Freehold Borough Police Department just got bigger.
Nicholas Iozzi, 29, of Freehold Township, and Zandra Vega, 30, of Freehold Borough, have joined the ranks of officers who serve and protect the community.
The police department now has 35 officers.
The two new officers took the oath of office at a Borough Council meeting on Sept. 2 surrounded by family members and fellow officers.
Iozzi grew up in Freehold Township and attended St. Mary's High School, South Amboy, and Seton Hall University, South Orange, graduating in 2001 with a degree in communications and public relations.
He said he became interested in the field of law enforcement while he was in college. Soon after graduation the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, took place and cemented his desire to pursue a career in police work.
"This was a job that would give me the opportunity to do something to help people," Iozzi said.
He said he also believed that working as a police officer would provide a dependable job with security.
He began working as a dispatcher for the Freehold Borough Police Department in 2003 and remained for almost three years, before entering the Monmouth County PoliceAcademy, Freehold Township. He spent 11 weeks training to become a Monmouth County Sheriff's Office corrections officer.
"The corrections officers training program entails some of the same training as a police officer," Iozzi said, "including the physical fitness training and firearms. In addition, we had to study correctional case law and we had to learn how the correctional system works."
Dealing with prisoners from all walks of life and learning how to take care of their problems using only communications skills is one aspect of training that Iozzi said he believes will benefit him in his job as a borough police officer.
"Corrections officers are not allowed to carry firearms inside the [jail]. All we had were a pair of handcuffs and our communications skills," he said.
Although Iozzi was raised in Freehold Township, he said he spent much of his time hanging out with his friends in downtown Freehold Borough.
"I've always seen a lot of pride in Freehold Borough," he said.
Iozzi said his goal right now is to learn everything he can about police work and Freehold Borough. In the future, Iozzi said, he is hoping to make a difference in the ongoing battle against drug abuse.
Vega, a native of Freehold Borough, attended borough public schools and graduated from Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, with a degree in elementary education. Her initial plan was to become a teacher. She said she always enjoyed working with children. Vega spent 11 years working with the YMCA in its summer recreation program as a counselor and then as a supervisor.
"Working with the children in the program allowed me to see many of their problems" Vega said. "I felt that becoming a police officer would allow me to give back to them in a different way than I was doing in the recreation program."
In 2003, Vega took a position as a case worker for the Monmouth County Social Services Department, working with the Family Care Division processing applications and offering families assistance. She applied to the police department in 2005. She remained a case worker with the county until she was hired by the Freehold Borough Police Department in 2008.
Vega said she is busy learning about the job of a police officer, but in the future she hopes to work with children in the community as a law enforcement officer.
Although Vega was born in the United States, her parents, Maria Cruz and Daniel Vega, were born in Puerto Rico. Vega said she believes her skills in English and Spanish will be a benefit as she interacts with the borough's Latino residents.
Vega lives in Freehold Borough with her 11-year-old son and also has sole custody of a 13-year-old family member.
New police officers hired in the borough have 12 weeks of supervision and training by two veteran officers, according to Sgt. Michael Sweetman, who is the department's field training officer supervisor.
"They are shadowed by veteran police officers who evaluate their progress on a daily basis," Sweetman said. "They spend six weeks with each of the two training officers."
