Photo by Jack Foley
Mayor Robert Correia performs a swearing-in ceremony for seven new police officers at Government Center on Monday. At far right is Iraq war veteran Jordan Silvia.
By Marc Munroe Dion -- Herald News Staff Reporter
GateHouse News Service
Mon Feb 25, 2008, 05:28 PM EST
Fall River - They were so new their belts still creaked when they moved.
Monday morning, on the top floor of Government Center, seven new Fall River police officers stood in their new belts and uniforms, raised their right hands and followed the words of Mayor Robert Correia, who administered the oath that will bind them to the job.
The oath says the new candidates will “bear true faith and allegiance,” to the law and that they will enforce the laws “impartially.” It is a serious oath.
Correia spoke about the seriousness of the police officer’s job.
“As police officers out there, you will bear the whole weight of our social structure,” Correia told the new officers, who, after 12 weeks training, will now go out on patrol. Each one paired with a more experienced officer.
New officers Faith Amaral, Michael Pavao, David Calderon, Jordan Silvia, Joshua Carreiro, Decio Pacheco and Edmond Desmarais listened to the speeches as their relatives snapped flash photos.
Police Chief John Souza also spoke about the weight of the job, but he also spoke about its rewards, telling the new officers that every day they would have the opportunity to right wrongs and to free people from fear.
“Officers, I welcome you to our noble profession,” Souza said.
For newly minted Officer Jordan Silvia, the new job comes after another job in uniform.
“I was in Iraq for a year,” Silvia, 26, said.
Silvia, a native of Fall River’s South End, said he’s lived here all his life.
“The South End,” he said. “Until I went to Iraq, I’d never really been out of the area.”
Silvia spent his time in Iraq with a National Guard unit, working on helicopters.
Officer Michael Perreira, president of the Fall River Police Association, also welcomed the new officers aboard.
“I met with the new officers this morning,” he said. “You could read the enthusiasm in their faces. I’m looking forward to working on the street with them as they start the noblest profession in the world,” Perreira said.
“We’ve been an ongoing process of bringing new officers to Fall River,” said City Councilor Raymond E. Hague, who chairs the council’s Public Safety Committee
Souza said the new officers bring the department’s strength up to 252 officers. In the last five years, Souza said, the department has added 18 officers and someday hopes to have what Souza considers a full complement of 260 officers.
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