Warren County Freeholder Director Everett A. Chamberlain announced that five Warren County Corrections Officers recently graduated from the police academy, two of them with special honors bestowed at the graduation ceremony.

“Warren County can be very proud of the five graduates from the correctional academy,” Chamberlain said, explaining that out of the six awards presented to members of the class of 28 graduates, Warren County officers won two of them.

“It exemplifies the type of individuals we have working with the county correctional facilities,” Chamberlain said, praising “the character of the type of people we have working for Warren County.”

The awards were presented at the May 11 graduation of the 69th Recruit Class at the Camden County Police Academy for Corrections, which Chamberlain attended in support of the Warren officers.

Corrections Officer Dayne Walz received the Firearms Proficiency Award, given to the recruit who scores the highest during range week. Meanwhile, Corrections Officer James Clark received the Honor Graduate Award, given to the recruit who, through his or her efforts and dedication, inspires other recruits in the class.

Also graduating were Corrections Officers Anthony Grieco, Carl Poff and James Flynn.

Warren County Warden Byron Foster said all five officers have been with the county for a year or slightly longer, receiving in-house training before heading to the academy for the rigorous 12-week training course.

The five worked at various posts in the jail after their initial training and proved to be good, reliable officers, Foster said, adding they “acquitted themselves very nicely at Academy.”

Warren County’s corrections officers typically attend academies in either Camden or Somerset counties, Foster said, where they are put through physical training and are schooled in correctional theory, relevant laws, use of force, defensive tactics, firearms use, report writing, observation and other areas essential to the job.

Pictured at their graduation from the Camden County Police Academy for Corrections are (l-r) Officers Anthony Grieco and James Clark, Warren County Freeholder Director Everett A. Chamberlain, the Academy’s Sgt. Alvin Parker, and Officers Dayne Walz, Carl Poff and James Flynn. Walz and Clark won special awards at the graduation ceremony.

“I’m very proud of them,” Foster said of the five officers. “They do a good job here at home. They’ve already made good use of their training from the academy, and they’ve carried on the tradition of excellence that each class has taken to the academy with them when they start.”

As for two of the Warren recruits receiving special commendations, Foster noted, “It’s seldom that we send a class to an academy and someone doesn’t bring home an award.”