Paterson police recruits head to training — 9 nixed by drug and fitness tests – Yahoo News
PATERSON — City officials are sending 23 new recruits for police academy training, but Paterson will fall short of its law enforcement staffing goal because nine applicants failed drug screening or physical fitness tests.
The goal had been was to hire enough recruits to boost the number of officers in the department to 439, the new maximum for the city approved by the state late last year.
“The number was supposed to reach 439,” Paterson Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale said after a City Hall swearing-in ceremony for the recruits on Monday. “However, hiring police officers is a very in-depth process. Aspects for candidates that must be considered include drug testing as well as psychological and physical fitness evaluations.”
Five recruits were disqualified because of drug tests and four didn't pass the fitness exam, officials said. The director said the disqualifications came too late for Paterson to put replacement recruits through the pre-employment screening.
“We can’t try and play catch-up through the process,” Speziale said.
Mayor Andre Sayegh said Paterson will be hiring another group of recruits later this year.
“We hope to meet the maximum number of officers with the new class that will start training this summer,” the mayor said.
None of the officials who spoke during the ceremony mentioned the fact that Paterson has endured record numbers of homicides in two consecutive years. The city also has gotten off to a bad start in 2022, with 10 shootings in the first 30 days, more than in any other January in the past five years.
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The 23 recruits at Monday’s ceremony now will begin about five months of training before they hit the streets.
New recruit Eugenia Anderson said that since first applying to wear the badge nearly two years ago, she has been well aware of the escalation of both shootings and homicides on her city’s streets.
“That has only served to motivate me,” the 25-year old graduate of Passaic County Technical Institute said. “I grew up in the 4th Ward. The increase in violence only makes me want to serve my community more.”
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Anderson is one of the coaches of the Lady Royals, a successful girls’ youth basketball team in the city.
“My young players were heartbroken when they found out that I had to take six months off from coaching to train for my police position,” Anderson said. “But I told them I would be back. I want them to know that they can do anything they attempt to do if they put their mind to it.”
Guillermo and Diana Java, parents of 22-year-old candidate Kenjy Java, were on hand to see their son’s policeman’s pledge. They said he first told them he wanted to become a police officer when he was 8 years old.
“I’m so proud of my son,” Diana Java said. “I am happy and excited for him becoming a police officer, but I’m also a little nervous.”
Afsana Laboney shared similar sentiments about her boyfriend, Mohammed Ahmed, who also raised his right to promise to protect and serve.
“I feel proud of Mohammed,” Laboney said. “However, I’m also a little bit scared because of the crime.”
Ed Rumley is a contributing writer for Paterson Press.
Email: editor@patersonpress.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ police recruits head to training
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