The Hoboken Police Department hosted an awards ceremony where dozens of officers were honored for exemplary service dating back to last year.
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Chief Kenneth Ferrante, who was formally sworn into the position in December, new Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez and Mayor Dawn Zimmer praised the department’s accomplishments to kickoff the event – hosted at the Stevens Institute of Technology.
Public Safety Director Jon Tooke got the awards ceremony going by presenting the Director’s Unit Citation to the Hoboken Police Traffic Bureau, as well as the city crossing guards and traffic control officers.
Dozens of officers received accolades for their accomplishments on the job dating back to January 2014, including Det. Sgt. William Vera, who received a gallantry star for stopping a “Bloods†gang member from shooting a Hasbrouck Heights police officer on April 26, 2014.
Officer Ferdinand Rivera also earned a gallantry star when he averted a potential “suicide-by-cop†scenario in the PATH station on March 26, 2015 (Officer Keith Rotondi received a Croix de Negotiator Laurel award for resolving the situation without any injuries).
Additionally, Sgt. Corrado Allegretta, Officers William Oquenedo, Michael Aviles, Jason Falco, Tryone Huggins, Marc Marsi and Special Police Officer Cynthia Rivera received a meritorious service award for climbing 16 flights of stairs to rescue senior citizens from an apartment complex during a May 2, 2015 fire.