Fair Lawn Swears In Three New Police Officers

FAIR LAWN, N.J. — Three Fair Lawn natives are the newest additions to the borough police department after Mayor John Cosgrove swore them in during a ceremony at Borough Hall Tuesday night.

(L to R): Geovanny Buitron, Michael Van Ness, and Tiller Uriarte surrounded by the Fair Lawn Borough Council and Police Chief Glen Cauwels.
Photo Credit: *Facebook/Fair Lawn PBA Local 67*

Matt Speiser

01/27/2016 2:00 p.m.

Tiller Uriarte, 38, is a 1997 graduate of Union Hill High School in Union City who began his law enforcement career with Paterson police from 2007-2011. He'd been a Jersey City police officer since 2012.

Tiller has been a member of the United States Army National Guard since 1997 and currently serves as a staff sergeant. He served two deployments to Iraq during Operaton Iraqi Freedom.

Geovanny Buitron, 24, is a 2009 graduate of Fair Lawn High School and a 2013 graduate of John Jay College with a bachelor of arts in criminal justice. He'd been a Fair Lawn auxiliary police officer since 2013.

Michael Van Ness, 30, is a 2003 graduate of Fair Lawn High School. Prior to his appointment, he'd been a borough police dispacher since 2008 and an auxiliary officer since 2006, rising to the rank of lieutenant.

He's currently a lieutenant with the Fair Lawn Heavy Rescue Squad, with who he' served since 2002.

Uriarte will begin his familiarization training immediately. Buitron and Van Ness are in the current recruit class at the Bergen County Law & Public Safety Institute.

"The leadership of our police department has done a great job filling in for people that we lost and keeping the department at a strong and healthy balance," Cosgrove told Daily Voice.

The additions boost the force to 59 officers.

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