Midland Park June 13, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 3 Mark Berninger Jr. will be sworn in Thursday as the newest member of the Midland Park Police Department. A borough resident, he will attend the Bergen County Police and Fire Academy beginning in July, the first recruit to do so since 2004. The last several officers were hired through the alternate route program and had already graduated from state-accredited police academies. This program allows civilians to pay their own way through academy training, rather than have the community underwrite the training after hiring the recruit. “Up to now we’ve been hiring officers ready to go. This time we wanted the opportunity to send somebody to the academy if we found the right qualified candidate,” said Councilman Nick Papapietro, the police committee liaison. “The council wanted someone who would be trained for Midland Park, and we have the time,” commented Borough Clerk/Administrator Addie Hanna. Brendan Burke, a Hawthorne resident, was hired through the alternate route last month to fill the opening created by the Mark Berninger Jr. to join police department retirement of Chief John Casson. Papapietro praised the police department’s management team for the level of local candidates it recommended to the council. “They worked hard, and they presented us with five good candidates,” he said. The committee interviewed 18 of the 178 candidates it screened. Five finalists, two of them Midland Park residents, were interviewed by the council before making its selection. Papapietro said Berninger was selected because of his maturity level, his attitude and involvement with the community,” among other criteria. “We felt he would fit in very well with the men in the department and interface well with the community. He is a good fit,” Papapietro said. Under the borough’s current PBA contract, Berninger will be paid $32,269. A lifelong borough resident, Berninger currently is affiliated with Berninger Builders. He is a graduate of Midland Park High School and holds a B.S. degree in business from William Paterson University. He is also the captain of the Midland Park Volunteer Fire Department, on which he has served for 13 years. His father, Mark Berninger Sr., is the current fire chief. His wife Sarah is an English teacher at Midland Park High School. “I look forward to working with Mark,” commented Acting Police Chief Michael Marra. “As a lifelong resident, he is well acquainted with the community and has a vested interest in it,” he added. Berninger’s first day of work will officially be June 18, and he will report to the police academy on July 30, with graduation scheduled for Dec. 21. That is then followed by six weeks of local training with members of the department.