Post by admin on May 31, 2007 5:12:06 GMT -5
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Roberts, Sweetman earn promotions in police dept.
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer
Michael Sweetman
FREEHOLD - Two veteran officers have moved up the ladder in the police department. Sgt. Glenn Roberts has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant and Patrolman Michael Sweetman has been promoted to the rank of sergeant in the Freehold Borough Police Department.
Both officers were sworn in to their new positions during the Borough Council's May 21 workshop meeting.
Roberts, 45, has been on the police force since 1994. He said he came to the career after working in real estate and then as a financial consultant until he was about 30.
"I always wanted to be a cop, though," Roberts said. "In fact, my mother and my sister used to always say to me, 'you should be a cop.' "
Being a cop is what Roberts has done for the last 13 years and he has enjoyed all aspects of the job.
He earned a degree in criminal justice and business administration. In addition, his knowledge and command of the Spanish language have made him an asset to a police department in a community that now has a large percentage of residents who speak Spanish.
Glenn Roberts
Roberts, who grew up in Matawan, is the department's Hispanic Affairs Officer, a title he said he actually held long before police brass made it official. He has initiated educational seminars for the Latino community in order to help those residents become a part of the borough.
"I was very close to Father Miguel Virrella at St. Rose," the lieutenant said. "We worked together to help the Latino community become part of the town."
Roberts, who has affectionately come to be known as "Roberto" within the Latino community, noted there are many cultural differences between Latino countries and the United States. He said actions which may be acceptable in other countries are not acceptable here.
"Helping the community to learn about those differences was critical," he said, "to keep [Latino immigrants] out of trouble, to reduce the calls for our services and to help the long-time residents as well."
Roberts also helped to create a comprehensive application process for taxi drivers in the borough to ensure that the "wrong people" are not operating taxis.
He has also had special training in identifying fraudulent documents.
Looking to the future, Roberts said he always tries to keep the police department as professional and as effective as it can be and said he will make sure his officers have the proper materials and equipment to do their job.
Although Roberts said he will miss being on the road, his goal now is to gather a working knowledge of the administrative end of the police work he will be doing. He said he will do that to the best of his ability.
Roberts is married and is the father of two daughters.
Sweetman, 39, who many people in the borough remember as the officer who formerly worked with a K-9 partner, has also been on the force since 1994. The Freehold native spent four years in the U.S. Air Force before coming to work as a Freehold Borough police officer. Sweetman said he wanted to be a police officer since he was a child.
The new sergeant was also a member of the Street Crimes Unit, which became the Freehold Borough and Freehold Township Joint Investigative Team.
Sweetman, who is currently a member of the department's bike patrol, was one of the four original members of that unit when it was created in the late 1990s. He said he has always enjoyed being a part of the bike patrol because police officers are much more accessible in this role.
"You lose the barrier of the patrol car and people are much more willing to interact with you when you are out on the street and they can walk up and see you," the sergeant said.
Sweetman is also a field training officer, a position he has held for four years. In this position he works with new police officers and supervises their time on the streets.
He said he is happy and excited about moving up to the rank of sergeant and is looking forward to his new police duties.
Sweetman lives with his wife, Jean, and their two daughters.
Police Chief Mitch Roth said the promotions of Roberts and Sweetman "enhance the credibility of our administrative and supervisory staff."
"Both officers are intelligent, compassionate and extremely diligent in the performance of their duties. They take their responsibility to serve the community very seriously. It is very comforting to know I can count on them to accomplish any task that is presented to them," Roth said.
Roberts, Sweetman earn promotions in police dept.
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer
Michael Sweetman
FREEHOLD - Two veteran officers have moved up the ladder in the police department. Sgt. Glenn Roberts has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant and Patrolman Michael Sweetman has been promoted to the rank of sergeant in the Freehold Borough Police Department.
Both officers were sworn in to their new positions during the Borough Council's May 21 workshop meeting.
Roberts, 45, has been on the police force since 1994. He said he came to the career after working in real estate and then as a financial consultant until he was about 30.
"I always wanted to be a cop, though," Roberts said. "In fact, my mother and my sister used to always say to me, 'you should be a cop.' "
Being a cop is what Roberts has done for the last 13 years and he has enjoyed all aspects of the job.
He earned a degree in criminal justice and business administration. In addition, his knowledge and command of the Spanish language have made him an asset to a police department in a community that now has a large percentage of residents who speak Spanish.
Glenn Roberts
Roberts, who grew up in Matawan, is the department's Hispanic Affairs Officer, a title he said he actually held long before police brass made it official. He has initiated educational seminars for the Latino community in order to help those residents become a part of the borough.
"I was very close to Father Miguel Virrella at St. Rose," the lieutenant said. "We worked together to help the Latino community become part of the town."
Roberts, who has affectionately come to be known as "Roberto" within the Latino community, noted there are many cultural differences between Latino countries and the United States. He said actions which may be acceptable in other countries are not acceptable here.
"Helping the community to learn about those differences was critical," he said, "to keep [Latino immigrants] out of trouble, to reduce the calls for our services and to help the long-time residents as well."
Roberts also helped to create a comprehensive application process for taxi drivers in the borough to ensure that the "wrong people" are not operating taxis.
He has also had special training in identifying fraudulent documents.
Looking to the future, Roberts said he always tries to keep the police department as professional and as effective as it can be and said he will make sure his officers have the proper materials and equipment to do their job.
Although Roberts said he will miss being on the road, his goal now is to gather a working knowledge of the administrative end of the police work he will be doing. He said he will do that to the best of his ability.
Roberts is married and is the father of two daughters.
Sweetman, 39, who many people in the borough remember as the officer who formerly worked with a K-9 partner, has also been on the force since 1994. The Freehold native spent four years in the U.S. Air Force before coming to work as a Freehold Borough police officer. Sweetman said he wanted to be a police officer since he was a child.
The new sergeant was also a member of the Street Crimes Unit, which became the Freehold Borough and Freehold Township Joint Investigative Team.
Sweetman, who is currently a member of the department's bike patrol, was one of the four original members of that unit when it was created in the late 1990s. He said he has always enjoyed being a part of the bike patrol because police officers are much more accessible in this role.
"You lose the barrier of the patrol car and people are much more willing to interact with you when you are out on the street and they can walk up and see you," the sergeant said.
Sweetman is also a field training officer, a position he has held for four years. In this position he works with new police officers and supervises their time on the streets.
He said he is happy and excited about moving up to the rank of sergeant and is looking forward to his new police duties.
Sweetman lives with his wife, Jean, and their two daughters.
Police Chief Mitch Roth said the promotions of Roberts and Sweetman "enhance the credibility of our administrative and supervisory staff."
"Both officers are intelligent, compassionate and extremely diligent in the performance of their duties. They take their responsibility to serve the community very seriously. It is very comforting to know I can count on them to accomplish any task that is presented to them," Roth said.