CLARK, NJ — Five new officers were sworn in to the Clark Police Department on Wednesday, Dec. 1, by Mayor Sal Bonaccorso at the Clark Municipal Building. These officers were selected from more than 60 candidates that applied. All are transfers to the department from other civil service jurisdictions within New Jersey. The officers will start their training immediately on a daytime unit of the patrol division.
• Officer Michael Mazzulla is a graduate of Colonia High School. After high school, he attended the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He started his career in law enforcement as a corrections officer at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Facility in 2015. In 2017 he was hired by the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office, where he worked in the DNA Division/Bureau of Criminal Investigation as a field training officer.
• Officer Teriq Ricks is a graduate of Irvington High School. He began his career in law enforcement working at the Elizabeth Corrections Corp. of America, where he worked for more than 11 years. From there, he was hired by the Irvington Police Department in 2018. He first worked in a crime deterrence unit. Ricks was later transferred to the Patrol Division and then to the Housing Unit, which is responsible for handling all emergency calls in a high-rise building known for gang activity. In addition, Ricks was a school resource officer, rotating through each of the 13 schools and working directly with the community youth, providing security and assisting with programs and safety drills.
• Officer Patrick Delome is a graduate of Irvington High School and attended Essex County College. He began his career in law enforcement as a state corrections officer, working in Trenton State Prison, now known as New Jersey State Prison, for two and a half years. He was then hired by the Irvington Police Department, where he has worked for the last four years. Delome worked in the Patrol Division and in a crime deterrence unit aimed at improving the quality of life for residents. For the last seven months, he worked as a detective, conducting various types of investigations. During his time at Irvington Police Department, Delome was the recipient of multiple command citations for arrests, summonses issued and overall job performance.
• Officer Michael Fabijanczuk is a 2009 graduate of Arthur L. Johnson High School. After high school, he earned an associate’s degree in early childhood education from Union County College and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Kean University. Fabijanczuk was a member of the Clark Volunteer Fire Department from 2015 through 2021. He was hired by the Union County Sheriff’s Office in 2019 and attended the John H. Stamler Police Academy. After graduation, Fabijanczuk was assigned to a court in the Criminal Division.
• Officer Timothy Lisowski attended Union County College, where he received an associate’s degree in criminal justice. During this time, he was an auxiliary police officer with the Cranford Police Department. While there, Lisowski was a recipient of the chief’s award and the five-year service award. He also worked for the Cranford Police Department as a dispatcher. Lisowski’s first position as a sworn law enforcement officer was with the Kean University Police Department, where he has served since 2020. He also has certifications in bicycle patrol and basic water rescue.
It has been 32 years since the Clark Police Department onboarded this many officers in one day. In 1989, officers Kevin Shackleton, John Doherty, Susan Ricci, Walter Merfert and Don DeAquino joined the force together. All had long careers with the department and have since retired.
Along with the new police officers, the Clark Police Department also hired a dispatcher, Ryan Wakstein, who began his training on Sunday, Nov. 21.
• Wakstein obtained an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Union County College. He began working in Clark as a volunteer emergency medical technician with the Clark Volunteer Emergency Squad in 2013 and then became a paid EMT in Clark in 2015. Since then, he has also worked as a paid EMT in Woodbridge, Port Reading and Avenel–Colonia, where he is a captain. Wakstein is a certified instructor in Stop the Bleed and other tactical medicine.
Photos Courtesy of Elizabeth Clee