Essex County Sheriff’s Office Graduates 26 New Correctional Officers at NECC

Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger administers the oath to 26 new correctional officers during graduation exercises at Northern Essex Community College on Friday, Dec. 8. (WHAV News photograph)

Twenty-six recruits from across the Merrimack Valley officially became Correctional Officers for the Essex County Sheriff’s Office at a ceremony held Friday at Northern Essex Community College.

Haverhill’s campus served as a home base for the new officers, who hail from towns including Methuen, Andover, Lawrence, Salisbury and Merrimac, to complete their 12-week basic training program.

Led by Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger, Friday’s graduation exercise was attended by NECC President Lane Glenn and family and friends of the graduates. The ceremony marked the conclusion of their training, which included physical fitness and firearms testing and CPR certification.

As Coppinger tells WHAV, the candidates will have little time to celebrate their accomplishment since their first day of work at Middleton Jail is Monday.

“Overall, having 26 new recruits coming on board with us is a huge help as we do our day-to-day functions at the Jail. I consider these recruits the best of the best,” the Sheriff said. “We do extensive background checks on each and every one of them. These young men and women are awesome and I’m thrilled to bring them on board. I think we’re going to do great things together.”

Once the new Correctional Officers report to work, Coppinger will focus his efforts on the new class of recruits set to train at Northern Essex in April. He encourages those interested in joining the Sheriff’s Office to complete applications online, telling WHAV that the spring 2018 class will have top-notch training elements at their disposal.

“Northern Essex is a huge asset to us. When I was first became Sheriff, we were looking for a place to have our Academy permanently assigned. President Glenn was great inviting us in,” Coppinger told WHAV. “They rolled out the red carpet and the facilities are great. My hat’s off to the college: It’s a great partnership.”

The Essex County Sheriff’s Department’s new Correctional Officers are:

Christian Mangini
Ryan P. Doyle
Kostyantyn Zozulya
Alexander King
Andrew Gentile
Caitlyn M. Tobyne
Bryan Shedd
Anton Trubitsyn
Christopher F. Day
Cameron M. LaBrecque
Daniel J. Ashwell
Gabriel I. Rodriguez
Cara Beth Buckley
Diego P. Martin-Dube
Justin Gilman
Fracisco Reyes
Jessica Lebrun
Marc Menard
Meredith L. Nicosia
Kelsey Ann Jewett
Melissa Anne Jewett
Nicholas M. Cognato
Michael W. Powers
Paul K. Cerino
Zachary J. Vatcher
Thomas J. Pitman