For Hometown News
TEQUESTA -- The Tequesta Police Department recently welcomed four new reserve officers.
Michael Liberta, Jean-Claude Louis-Jeune, Cameron Revord and Corinna Santacroce were sworn in during a ceremony at village hall.
Tequesta has a long-standing reserve officer program that augments its full-time police force. The flourishing program stands apart from its counterparts through a creative approach built to assist with officer workload and budget constraints.
The benefits of the program are extensive. The part-time officers supplement full-time personnel by working on an "as-needed basis" as opposed to being dictated by a schedule. This increases police presence within the community and neighborhoods and helps reduce the personnel-operating budget through lowered personnel, pension and health insurance costs.
Officers entering the reserve program have completed the same credentials as full-time officers, including the rigors of the police academy and state certification. Reserve officers are offered hands-on training and in-field experiences that enable them to confirm their abilities, loyalty and commitment to residents.
Once they have completed a 16-week field-training program, they begin solo patrols alongside full-time officers and have full law enforcement authority.
With the addition of the four reserve officers, the police department will now fill open full-time positions from the current reserve officer pool.
Officers Kurt Blanc, Mike Valerio and Aaron Johnson have proven their abilities and dedication to the village and will move to full-time positions on Feb. 4.
For more information, call (561) 768-0522.