“Sometimes when you’re at the academy you think the training is over-the-top,” said Police Officer Joshua Beniquez, who graduated the Passaic Police Academy along with his brother, Jonathon, in December 2017. “When you get out on the street, you find it wasn’t over the top.”
Joshua and Jonathon were among several hundred people who gathered in Jersey City City Hall on July 11. They had come to celebrate their brother Gilbert’s swearing in, the third brother in the family to serve in Jersey City Police Department. All three are nephews of former Hudson County Sheriff Juan Perez, currently a councilman in Bayonne, who was also on hand for the ceremony.
Gilbert was part of a class of 28 graduates, bringing the total number of city police officers to 950, a goal set by Mayor Steven Fulop when he took office in 2013.
“When I took office in 2013, the force was at 769 officers,” Fulop said. “Thanks to the support of the City Council that supplied the funds, we were able to expand.”
Fulop said not only was the number of officers too low in 2013, but also, the department did not reflect the diverse population of the city. More than 70 percent of the new officers hired since then have been minorities, better reflecting a city that has been named as the most diverse city in America.
He said his administration has made rebuilding the Police Department a priority, and the department is seeking to become more involved in the community.
“Honesty and your badge are all you have.” – Mike Kelly
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Keeping it together as a cop
Police Chief Mike Kelly said the 28 new police officers got some early experience when they were called on to help with crowd control and other public safety issues at the 4th of July festivities at Exchange Place, where hundreds of thousands of people came to witness the musical performances and the fireworks display.
Although this was a happy occasion for the department, Kelly noted that July has not been a kind month historically for the JCPD. Since 2001, three police officers have died in the line of duty during the month of July.
Kelly gave the new class of officers some advice. He told them how his father, a one time police detective, praised an officer by simply calling him “a good cop.”
“I came to learn that is the highest praise he could give a police officer,” Kelly said. He said the new recruits will soon come to learn that active duty can seem disorganized, unpredictable, and frustrating. But if an officer focuses on helping people, civilians as well as fellow officers, the priorities of the job can soon clarify.
Kelly said the job is about motivation. He asked the recruits to maintain through their careers the motivation they feel coming out of the academy. He detailed three qualifications for being what his father called a good cop: humility, helpfulness, and honesty.
“Honesty and your badge are all you have, and you need to be motivated to make a difference in the community,” he said.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.
