By KIMBERLY ACEVEDO
The cadets started out as a group of 13, and they were determined to graduate as a group of 13. on Tuesday, August 20, they met their goal as they stood at attention in front of their commanding officers as their families.
Of the 13 police cadets that crossed the stage on Tuesday, August 20, seven will head to the Long Beach Police Department. Steven M. Bermudez, Richard J. DePalma, Robert T. Fales, Michael T. Garafalo, Patrick S. McLoughlin, Brian E. Perinchief and David T. Williams will be joining the force.
Since the terrorist attacks, Nassau County Police Academy Sgt. Ed Reilly said the Academy has included terrorist training within the department. Each class went through 28-weeks of intense physical training, all in the name of duty.
This is a happy day, Nassau County police commissioner James H. Lawrence said. People that choose to be police officers are very special people. That was highlighted on 9-11.
During graduation, awards for Overall Excellence, Academic Excellence, Firearms Proficiency, Physical Training Proficiency and Certified First Responder Proficiency were handed out, and each award was taken home by a new Long Beach Police Officer.
Police Officer Richard DePalma received the Overall Excellence Award and the Academic Excellence Award. Police Officer Steven M. Bermudez received the Firearms Proficiency Award and the Certified First Responder Proficiency Award. And Police Officer Brian E. Perinchief received the Physical Training Proficiency Award.
Since the Long Beach Police Department has had a large amount of retirements this year, Long Beach police commissioner John Laffey said, the city council made it possible to hire more police officers.
We are delighted to have them patrol the streets of Long Beach now, Laffey said. I was proud to stand on the dais and watch all the awards go to all the Long Beach men.
Nassau County Legislature Michael Zapson (D-Long Beach) cheered on each cadet as they shook the hands of their commanding officers. He presented each cadet with a citation.
It's a good day for Long Beach, Zapson said.
And on behalf of his class, Williams reminisced how the group had started together and, in the end, they made it together.
We are all very proud to be police officers and to be trained in on of the finest academies, he said. Each of us has made a collective contribution in the pursuit of excellence.
