METUCHEN — Police Chief David Irizarry said he can sleep well at night with the likes of Police Sgt. Kevin Doherty overseeing the borough.
Doherty was sworn in as sergeant in front of his family, friends and fellow officers at a Borough Council meeting on Jan. 16.
“Kevin did not fall far from the tree,” Irizarry said. “The Doherty family is full of volunteers and public service [from] firefighters, police officers, [to] EMS (emergency medical services), just full of public service professions.”
Doherty fills the shoes of Police Sgt. James Connolly, whose retirement was effective Dec. 31, 2017.
Irizarry said the sergeant exam is a grueling verbal test given by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police.
“All candidates have four weeks to prepare for this test and three [police] chiefs from across the state come in and fire questions at these candidates one at a time and [the officers’] heads spin,” he said. “It’s all about knowledge of the job and also thinking on your feet and that is what this job is all about: being able to think on your feet quickly and have the right answers or at least know where to find the right answers.”
Irizarry said Doherty, with all of the other officers vying for the position, did a fantastic job.
“This test is a test that no one looks forward to taking,” he said.
Irizarry said Doherty started as a patrolman with the department and caught onto the job really fast.
“[Doherty] is one of our best officers,” he said. “Kevin was assigned to be a corporal and a short time thereafter he went to the detective bureau where he was just a … detective with solving a lot of cases [and] handling a lot of evidence.”
Irizarry said the promotion ceremony was a very happy day for him.
“I have yet another sergeant that I can rely on and sleep well at night when [Doherty] is on duty,” he said.
Doherty’s promotion is one of the many changes due to retirements that have occurred in the Metuchen Police Department in the past several months.
Longtime Police Captain Michael Kilker’s retirement was effective Oct. 1, 2017. On Oct. 2, three long time officers, JP Therrien, Arthur Flaherty, Kenneth Bauer, were promoted to captain, lieutenant and sergeant, respectively, in anticipation of the retirement.
On Nov. 6, two officers, Kelsey L. Florczak and Kevin Ryan, were sworn in as new officers with the department.
Contact Kathy Chang at kchang@newspapermediagroup.com.
