WEST MILFORD - It was a proud night for the township of West Milford and its long blue line of honor. Wednesday night, the township swore in one new police officer and saw the promotions of three more men, two from officer to sergeants and one from sergeant to lieutenant.
Mayor Bettina Bieri and police Chief Gene Chiosie introduced the men who were being promoted, including Lt. Keith Ricciardi, Sergeant James DeVore and Sergeant Joseph Nevin.
Ricciardi has been on the force since 1993. He became sergeant in 2003 and previously held a position with the Hudson County Department of Corrections as well as serving in the military.
Nevin has been with the West Milford Police Department for 17 years, active with the Crash Team, Special Operations Unit and Community Policing Unit.
DeVore has been protecting West Milford for 14 years and is a member of the Rapid Deployment Team.
Police Officer Andrew Petrucelli was officially sworn in to his position. Petrucelli, who has been a member of the force since September, came to West Milford after spending four years on the Sparta Police Department. He is trained as a firearms instructor and was a member of the Army, doing two tours of duty in the Middle East.
This brings the total number of sworn officers in the township to 43.
Special Officers were also sworn in for the year. They were honored for the work they do throughout the township, including traffic safety, church detail and high school events. Those officers include: Arthur O'Leary, Thomas McManaman, Richard Mirabelli, Paula Joy, Wayne Morrissey, Charles Kurz and Alice Dobson.
Special Officers Ken Hall and Laura Paul were not in attendance.