News: June 2009

Twenty Percent of Newest N.J. State Police Class are Hispanic

Published June 27, 2009

Graduation ceremonies for the latest State Police class took place on Friday, June 26th in Toms River. On hand to help welcome the new troopers were Gov. Jon Corzine and Attorney General Anne Milgram.

According to a State Police press release, the 150th class is the most diverse class in the organization’s history. Nearly one-third of the 104 newly-anointed troopers are minorities with Hispanics numbering twenty-two.

Commenting on the diversity, State Police Superintendent Colonel Joseph R. Fuentes told the graduates and their families that “...their backgrounds, coupled with their highly effective training will equip them to enforce the laws of our state constitutionally, fairly and without bias. I have no doubt this training has prepared them for the demanding yet rewarding career of protecting the citizens of the state of New Jersey.”

Candidates applying to the State Police are required to have a minimum of sixty college credits plus two years of work experience, a bachelor’s degree, or thirty college credits plus two years of active military service. Once accepted, they endure twenty-six weeks of strenuous physical and academic training.

Gov. Corzine thanked the graduates for their commitment and service, saying “As you embark on your new assignments, I am confident you will uphold the traditions of honor, duty and fidelity of this great law enforcement organization.”

State President Hector Ramos and NJSP Chapter President Julian Castellanos welcome all new enlisted members and wish them a safe and successful career.

Star-Ledger video of ceremony

NLPOA Goes to Washington, D.C. to Endorse Sotomayor Nomination

Published June 23, 2009

LPOANJ President Hector Ramos joined NLPOA president Art Acevedo and presidents from several other state chapters at a press conference on Capitol Hill in support of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. The group traveled to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 to participate in the event.

The NLPOA contingent started the day out by meeting with New Jersey members of the House and Senate. They also participated in various interviews (in both Spanish and English) with print and television outlets. The day culminated with a private audience with the Honorable Sonia Sotomayor.

The National Latino Peace Officers Association is just one of many national law enforcement organizations to endorse the Sotomayor nomination. Other organizations include the National Sheriffs Association, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and the Fraternal Order of Police.

Vice President Joseph Biden, in addressing the support from these organization, made the following statement:

“Sonia Sotomayor’s lifelong commitment to law enforcement is hard to argue with. She knows firsthand the brave work of the police force in fighting crime. She has worked together with the officers and detectives on the front lines, gathering evidence and building fact by fact, witness by witness, the cases that would result in putting criminals behind bars.”

NLPOA President Art Acevedo lauded Sotomayor’s lifelong commitment to equality, justice and opportunity. Citing her distinguished record of professional accomplishments as judge, prosecutor and community leader, Acevedo said the NLPOA enthusiastically supports Judge Sonia Sotomayor as the next Supreme Court Justice of the United States of America.

Currently a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Sotomayor graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton and went on to earn her Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School.

LPOANJ President Hector Ramos expressed hope that the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will begin confirmation hearings on July 13, 2009, will conduct a fair and responsible hearing. If confirmed, the jurist will be the first Hispanic to sit on the highest court in the land.

National Journal Online: Menendez, Hispanic Groups Tout Sotomayor

PolitickerNJ.com: Menendez, Law Enforcement and Hispanic National Bar Association Praise Sotomayor Record