Nassau County Installs New Crop of Auxiliary Officers

Thirty brave men and women were sworn into the as auxiliary officers Monday night at a ceremony at the .

The group of trainees stood out from other graduating classes due to their diversity and the size of the training class. "This group was a very unique group," Sgt. Patrick White, a training officer in the auxiliary program, said. "The class size was very large and they all had different personalities."

Most of the officers spoke fondly of White, crediting their success to his intensive training. "He was a perfectionist," Officer Patricia Mendes from Valley Stream said. "He always made sure that we all gave a 100-percent."

Auxiliary police cadets attend and complete a 23-session basic training course given at the Nassau County police academy in Massapequa Park. In addition to basic law enforcement training, cadets learn to perform many functions like assisting the department during special events, like parades and festivals, traffic and pedestrian control, and how to respond to emergency situations.

The new officers were commended by Nassau County commissioner of police Lawrence Mulvey, who was also the key speaker and presenter of awards for the night. Mulvey noted that the cadets' hard work would be vital to the well being of the community. "These officers represent the highest form of community service," he said, "because of the personal sacrifices that came with the job."

Some officers like Erik Charles see their training as a way to give back to their community. Originally from Haiti, Charles lives in Uniondale and says that he will focus on translating the law to Haitian- Americans like him who speak mostly French and Creole.

The new auxiliary officers and their communities in which they will serve are as follows:

• Bellmore: Marc Fidererxzx
• East Rockaway: Michelle Bondy
• Elmont: Jason Dasrath
• Five Towns: Cintra Garcia, Chaim Sandler
• Hicksville: Joseph Morgante
• Jericho: Anthony Mastrokyriakos
• Levittown: Christian Aguilar, Abdul Gaibi, Alice Hogan, Richard Horan, Steven Martello
• Massapequa: Sheldon Cummings
• Merrick: Luis Roa
• North Bellmore: Adam Bruno
• New Hyde Park: Rajinder Gurjral, Phillip Leotta
• Oceanside: Scott Braun, Mark Greenburg, Jennifer Jennings
• Plainview: Khalid Malik
• Rockville Centre: Aslam Pervez
• Syosset: Jonathan Ku, Jeff Zheng
• Uniondale: Erick Charles, Michael Jean-Baptiste, Chester Mullen
• Valley Stream: Patricia Medina
• West Hempstead: Praxedes Russi

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