It’s been a long-standing tradition in the Belleville Police Department — new recruits get to handpick the person they want to pin the badge to their uniform. an honor reserved for someone truly special.
So, Giovanni Vinci chose the man who raised him to have pride in his hometown and always look for ways to help others.
He picked his dad and former Essex County Sheriff, Carmelo.
“He’s the person I have always looked up to,” Vinci said. “He found his old Class As (formal police uniform) from years ago and put them on for the event. It was a moment I’ll never forget, especially because of the bond between a father and a son.”
Vinci was recently sworn in alongside nine other new members of the Belleville Police Department: Bruce Aranguiz, Thomas DeVingo, Jordan Greene, Darwin Guillen, Rocco Negron, Armin Sabic, Matthew Ulerio, Angel Ulerio and Justin Yeye.
Some of the new recruits grew up in Belleville and are following in the footsteps of their dads or other family members – like Vinci.
Vinci spent his early youth in the township’s Silver Lake section, and has fond memories of playing baseball, football and other sports with neighborhood friends at Fairway Park. Later, he lived on Belleville Avenue.
After high school, he worked in retail and construction. He even did some security work at a hospital. When he heard the Belleville Police Department was looking for new officers, he was eager to give back to his hometown.
“Our new officers spend many months training, studying and pushing themselves to meet the high standards we uphold in the Belleville Police Department,” Police Chief Mark Minichini said. “We are proud of their progress so far and wish them the best as they join our ranks.”
For the first several months on the beat, Vinci will be paired with a seasoned (field-training) officer as they patrol the town, keeping residents and visitors safe and secure.
Vinci, whose brother, Vincenzo, is also a member of the Belleville Police Department, said the biggest key so far has been keeping his eyes open and continuing to learn from veteran officers.
“The best advice I’ve gotten so far is to treat everyone like it’s your family,” Vinci said. “If there’s a situation happening, treat it like it’s your brother, treat it like it’s your grandmother. That’s something that has stuck with me during the training.”
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.