CLARK, NJ — Seven members of the Clark Police Department took the oath of office in front of the Township Council and their families during the public meeting on Monday, Nov. 21, as they were promoted to new positions within the department.
• Miguel Acabou was promoted to captain. Acabou graduated from Newark East Side High School in 2000 and started his law enforcement career with the Newark Police Department in April 2006. As a Newark police officer, he was assigned to the Patrol Bureau, then the Street Crimes and Narcotics units through 2011. While at the Newark Police Department, Acabou was the recipient of the physical fitness training award, Medal of Merit “B” Award, two Medal of Merit “C” awards, five FOP Officer of the Month awards and more than 20 command citations. He then transferred to Clark in January 2012 and was assigned to the Patrol Bureau. He was promoted to sergeant in January 2017, becoming the Patrol Bureau’s field training supervisor. He was then promoted to lieutenant in September 2020, and was assigned as the watch commander of a platoon and the commander of the Internal Affairs Bureau. He is currently in command of the Patrol Bureau. In Clark, Acabou was recipient of two Life Saving awards and three Platoon awards; certified as a field training supervisor, to administer the Alcotest Breathalyzer test, as a 9-1-1 dispatcher, as an Internal Affairs investigator and as the firearms range master.
• Michael Hernandez was promoted to the rank of sergeant. He graduated from Rutgers University in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and started his law enforcement career with the N.J. Department of Corrections, where he was assigned to New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. He then transferred to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, where he was assigned to the Crime Scene Unit for two years, before joining the Clark Police Department in 2012. As a Clark police officer, he was recognized three times by the Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization for his efforts to stop impaired driving, whether alcohol- or drug-related. Hernandez is one of two drug-recognition experts in the department, and has aided in the arrest and prosecution of numerous impaired drivers. He is also the recipient of multiple awards, including an award for exceptional police service.
• Christopher Tuccio, who was unable to attend the Nov. 21 ceremony, was promoted to sergeant. Tuccio graduated from Mahwah High School in 1995 and entered the U.S. Army, where he was deployed to Panama, Bosnia and Afghanistan. He started his law enforcement career as a federal police officer in 2006, before transferring to Clark in 2008. While at Clark, he was assigned to the Patrol Bureau, then was promoted to traffic detective in 2014. As a sergeant, he will be assigned to the Patrol Bureau. While in Clark, Tuccio is the recipient of seven Platoon awards, a Life Saving Award, an Honorable Service Award and two Distinguished awards, and is a firearms instructor.
• Theodore McKeown was promoted to sergeant. He graduated from Caldwell University in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in visual media and an associate’s degree in communications. McKeown started his law enforcement career with the Union County Department of Corrections in 2012, supervising top-tier inmates. He then transferred to the Union County Sheriff’s Office in 2013 and was assigned to the Family Court Division before joining the Clark Police Department in 2014. As a Clark police officer, he is the recipient of two Life Saving awards, he was a member of the Union County Emergency Response Team, he is one of three firearms instructors in the department and he is certified to instruct the police recruits as a Police Academy firearms instructor.
• Michael Ciaccio was promoted to sergeant. Ciaccio was enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2005 to 2009, during which time he was deployed to Iraq in 2005 and again in 2007. After returning from the Marines, he graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree, then attended Fairleigh Dickinson University and graduated in 2012 with a master’s degree. Ciaccio started his law enforcement career with the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office in June 2013 as a sheriff’s officer, before joining the Clark Police Department in 2015. As a Clark police officer, he was assigned to the Patrol Bureau and then, in 2018, was appointed to the Criminal Investigations Bureau as a detective. He is the recipient of multiple awards, including two Platoon awards.
• Paul Sosnowski was promoted to detective and will be assigned to the Criminal Investigations Bureau. Sosnowski worked at the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office in 2010, working mainly in the Criminal Court Division for the presiding criminal court judge, as well as additional time spent in the transportation unit, where he transported inmates to and from county jail, and from throughout New Jersey. While at the sheriff’s office, he was an active member in the honor guard for more than five years. In November 2016, he was hired by the Clark Police Department, where he worked predominantly in the Patrol Division, both on night and day shifts. During his time in the Patrol Division, he has been awarded the Life Saving Award three times, as well as the Distinguished Service Medal.
• Michael DeAngelo, a 2010 Arthur L. Johnson High School graduate, also achieved the rank of detective. DeAngelo graduated from Kean University in 2014, where he majored in history and education, and he taught at Linden High School in 2014. He started his law enforcement career in December 2015 and entered the John H. Stamler Police Academy; he was hired as a Union County sheriff’s officer in July 2015. He transferred to the Union County Police Department in January 2016, then transferred to Clark Police Department in January 2017. While at Clark, he was assigned to the Patrol Bureau and participated as a plain-clothes officer with the Union County Narcotics Strike Force during Operation Helping Hand in 2019. He became a field training officer in 2020, and he is a recipient of an Honorable Service Award, three Distinguished Service awards, three written commendations, a Life Saving Award and a Platoon Award.