Officers Timothy Fanion, Jeffrey Vigneault, Brendan Irujo, William Cavanaugh and Melissa Burns pay rapt attention to the proceedings at their graduation exercises from the Western Massachusetts Municipal Training Academy Friday morning. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
WESTFIELD – Another group of city police officers have been tempered by the fires of the police academy and were found to be ready to serve and protect in Westfield.
The theater at Springfield Technical Community College was packed with cops and their loved ones Friday morning as 24 new officers, five of them representing the Whip City, were presented with their badges and declared to be fully qualified officers after completing the traditionally grueling course.
When the 49th recruit officer class started the 22-week course at the Western Massachusetts Municipal Training Academy the class was comprised of 33 candidates, six from Westfield, but some fell by the wayside before the ‘boot camp’ course was complete.
One of the Westfield officers, Thomas Cusack, elected to pursue his ambition to become a State Trooper when he was offered a slot at the State Police Academy. Cusack resigned his position with the city department and withdrew from the WMMTA to start training for the state police.
The five remaining candidates – Melissa Burns, William Cavanaugh, Timothy Fanion, Brendan Irujo and Jeffrey Vigneault – continued and the contingent left their mark on the academy class.
Burns, who was presented with the award for leadership by the senior staff instructor, Northampton Sgt. Robert J. Powers, was also selected as the class leader.
Irujo, who was elected treasurer of the class and selected as the leader of the first squad, took the award for academic achievement.
Retired Westfield detective George Fanion pins a police badge on the tunic of one of the city’s newest officers, his grandson Timothy Fanion, as current detective Brian Fanion, the new officer’s uncle, beams in approval at the Western Massachusetts Municipal Training Academy graduation exercises Friday morning. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
The keynote speech was provided by Pelham Chief Gary Thomann and remarks were also offered by the STCC president Ira Rubenzahl, who spoke about the addition the WMMTA made to the community college; Chief David Hastings, president of the Western Massachusetts Chiefs of Police association; Lee officer Kirk Nichols, the class president and Daniel Zivkovich, the executive director of the Municipal Police Training Committee who urged the new officers to think of themselves not as law enforcement officers but as police officers, saying that their duty to serve and protect supersedes their duty to enforce laws.
The candidates became fully fledged officers toward the end of the exercises when their badges were ceremoniously pinned to their uniforms.
Capt. Michael McCabe represented Westfield Police Chief John Camerota and pinned four of the five Westfield officers but Fanion got special attention.
His badge was pinned to his uniform by his grandfather, retired Westfield detective George Fanion, as his uncle, current city detective Brian Fanion, watched with a beaming smile on his face.
Vigneault, who served as the class guide, ended the ceremony when he returned the class guidon to the academy which was accepted by staff instructor Holyoke Sgt. Kevin Thomas.
