The city held a swearing-in ceremony at the Atlantic City Convention Center on Monday, Mar. 11. The 30 new officers were hired through a $3.75 million grant from the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program.
The new officers were hired amid a relatively violent start to 2024 in Atlantic City. There were six homicides in the city in January and February, nearly equaling the 2023 and 2022 totals of seven homicides in each year.
The hirings are part of almost $9 million in police upgrades. The city received $5 million to expand its surveillance camera program by adding 1,000 cameras in more than 200 locations.
Two retired police officers, Robert Campbell and John Bazemore, were also sworn in as school resource officers.
"I am delighted by the new additions to our agency from today's swearing-in ceremony," police Chief James Sarkos said in a news release. "Their dedication, integrity, and commitment to serving our community will bolster our strength and enhance our capabilities."
The newly hired Atlantic City police officers are:
- Jeremy Nirenberg
- Bryan Tracy
- Nicholas Fifer
- Casey Tomasello
- Thomas Egan
- Danny Felciano
- Odalys Filippi-Sarmiento
- Ridge Gradel
- Vincent Nguyen
- Andrew Xiques
- Patrick Yates
- Bao Pham
- Cristobal Reyes-Perla
- Juan Garcia
- Brandon Solano
- Kyle Riordan
- Robert Thompson
- Joseph Lyall
- Aaron Laramore
- Sy Le
- Aaron McKim
- Andrew Pellegrino
- Jovahn Perez
- Juan Perez-Delacruz
- Isabella Rando
- Muhammad Sarfraz
- Matthew Stanwood
- Andrew Cruz
- Riyadh Duffy
- Leomar Flores
Johnathan Walsh was also promoted from officer to sergeant at the ceremony.
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