Township welcomes its new officers at ceremony
Two recruits headed for the Washington Township police department graduated from the Gloucester County Police Academy during a ceremony on July 7.
John Dantine and Darren Raudenbush joined the ranks of what Police Chief Patrick Gurcsik described as a “growing police force.” Raudenbush also earned the first Officer Robert Shisler Physical Training Award, named for the fallen Deptford police officer who died in May of injuries suffered in the line of duty.
Shisler – an instructor at the academy – received the fitness award in 2019.
“In an extremely moving moment, Deptford Township officers lined the width of the gymnasium,” read a post on the police department website.
Raudenbush proceeded to shake hands with each and every officer in that line.
The police department hosted an open house orientation in June for eight of its new officers and their families, including Dantine and Raudenbush, as well as Philip Gorski, Gemel Tutu, Nick Caserta, Matthew Tucker, Louis Destefano and Greg Rossi.
Recruits met an array of police officers, got an overview of the police department and a tour of police headquarters, and saw a K-9 demonstration.
Gorski transferred from the Camden County Police Department and joins the township department as a fully trained officer. Tutu, Caserta, Tucker, Destefano and Rossi will enter the police academy on Aug. 7 and expect to graduate in December.
