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By Rob Cristo-- January
24, 2004
TROY-
A fourth generation rookie cop and a former local restaurant
owner were two of the six new police officers sworn
in Friday at a City Hall ceremony.
Nearly 100 family, friends and colleagues gathered in
the City Council chambers to celebrate the swearing
in of new officers Daniel Magnetto, Russell Clements,
Ryan Holohan, Gianni Bove, Karrie West and Brian Gross.
"Each and every one of you said you wanted to help people.
... That is the essence of police work and never forget
that," said Troy Police Chief Nicholas Kaiser, who reflected
on the interviews conducted with the new officers he
was swearing in.
Mayor Harry Tutunjian told the new officers to remember
that they are assuming an important role in protecting
the safety of residents and business owners when they
take to the streets everyday.
"You're fulfilling a lifelong dream and made a commitment
to making our streets safe and our residents protected,"
said Tutunjian. "It is a task I know you understand,
and (I) wish you the best of luck in making us all proud."
One of those new recruits, Daniel Magnetto, was sworn
in with the help of his father, Tony Magnetto, who is
a captain with the Police Department with 28-years on
the job.
It was an emotional moment for the Magnetto family when
its newest member of the police force stepped forward
to have the shield that once belonged to his grandfather
Peter Magnetto pinned to his chest by his father.
The family's long tradition of dedication to law enforcement
dates back to William O'Connell, who was a captain in
the late 19th Century.
"Pinning my dad's shield on Danny was very emotional,"
said Tony Magnetto. "You have flashbacks to the day
I was sworn in by my father (28 years-ago) when he presented
me with the same shield."
"The job today is more dangerous than when I started,
so there's a little worry about my son, but it's inspiring
for me to know I was a good influence on him and he's
ready to make those sacrifices," he added.
The 22-year-old Siena College graduate said it was a
"dream come true" to have the opportunity to serve the
people and wear his grandfather's badge with pride.
"I always felt a desire to help people, but I think
it wasn't until two years ago when I was watching a
story on the news and felt like an outsider because
there was nothing I could do to help that I knew I wanted
to be a cop," said Magneto, whose brother, Peter, is
an Army lieutenant who recently served in Afghanistan
and is expected to return to duty in Iraq soon.
A somewhat newer tradition began for rookie cop Russell
Clements. His wife, Marie Talarico, a veteran Troy patrolwoman,
placed his father's badge on his gray suit.
Clements and Talarico recently closed up the LaBella
Rosa Italian Imports restaurant on Fourth Street so
he could pursue a career in law enforcement.
"It's been a long road to get to something I've always
dreamed of doing," said Clements, 35, who has more than
nine years experience with the Military Police and National
Guard.
His wife, who is now fully recovered from an on-duty
car accident in 1996, says she's "very happy" that her
husband is "finally fulfilling his dream."
In addition to the new hirings, the city also promoted
10-year veteran Officer John Coons to sergeant, a position
that will give him about a $7,500 raise.
New recruits Gross and Holohan are expected to graduate
from Police Academy in March before taking a 13-week
class. The rest of the new recruits will begin a 23-week
training at the Police Academy in the coming weeks.
According to Kaiser, the rookies will start out with
$30,000 salaries that will increase to $45,000 over
the next 42 months.
He also said that five of the new positions were needed
to replace retiring officers and one slot was added
with grant funds.
Kaiser also expects to have more officers patrolling
the downtown streets this spring, thanks largely to
a $100,000 grant earmarked for overtime.
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