Crime & Safety
Honoring Lacey's Finest
Township Committee honors retiring lieutenants, presides over promotions for sergeants and lieutenants
by Patricia A. Miller
Lt. Scott Tirella and Lt. James Veltri both began their 25-year law enforcement careers on the same day in February 1989.
And they both retired on the same day, at the March 27 Township Committee meeting.
Both Tirella and Veltri were honored not just by township officials, but by most of the members of the Lacey Township police department who weren't working that night. They packed the meeting room and spilled into the hallway.
Police Chief David A. Paprota called both men "truly distinguished."
Paprota said no matter where he goes, around the state, he's always asked how the two men are doing.
"Everybody seems to know Lt. Veltri and Lt. Tirella," the chief said. "That's a testament to their careers."
Township Committeeman Peter Curatola said the packed room and outside hallway were a measure of the support the two men had from their co-workers.
"This is as full as the room gets," he said. "I feel thankful and I feel very safe as well."
Township Clerk Veronica Laureigh swore in Ronald P. Buxton and Paul J. Sullivan, who were promoted to the rank of sergeant. Both men have been working as acting sergeants for the last nine months.
Paprota presented both men with the chevron badge that donates their new rank. He also praised their performances and noted their educational backgrounds.
Laureigh also swore in Christopher Kenny and Patrick Ganley to the rank of lieutenant. Kenny has a master's degree and Ganley is working on his, Paprota said.
"They realize the importance of education in a leadership position," the chief said.
Kenny and Ganley have also been working as acting lieutenants for the past nine months.
"They know better than others that with the position of lieutenant comes great, responsibility," Paprota said. "The Lacey Township police department is operating with the lowest number of personnel in decades."
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