Cambridge-Northeastern Police Academy Graduates Fourth Class; 15 New Officers Join CPD

The Cambridge Police Department announced that 39 new police officers graduated on Saturday from the fourth Cambridge-Northeastern Police Academy class following a special graduation ceremony that was held at Northeastern University. The graduating officers join their respective departments after successfully completing training, which started January 17, 2022.

The new officers represented 11 different departments from the greater Boston area. In addition to the Cambridge and Northeastern Police Departments, the other participating agencies were from Arlington, Bentley University, Boxford, Brookline, Everett, Medford, Lowell, MIT, and Newton.

The fourth academy class includes 15 new Cambridge Police officers:

• Eight graduated from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS) and Matignon High School. 
• Eight identify as Black or Hispanic.
• Two of the newest officers are women.
• The new officers ages range between 22-39 years old.
• Four of the newest officers are bilingual and fluent in Cape Verdean Creole, Haitian Creole (2), or Spanish; several officers also have a strong understanding of French, Spanish and Portuguese.   
• Officer Derrick Harris was the Class Leader and received the Academy Leadership Award. He previously was the Director of Operations and Programs at the City of Cambridge Department of Human Service Programs (DHSP). Harris also was a youth sports coach in the City of Cambridge.
• Officer Jason Fernandes obtained the Academy’s Physical Fitness Award. He was previously an Assistant Director at the City of Cambridge Department of Human Service Programs. 
• Officers Francisco Melendez-Sanchez and Jeffrey Renzi were participants in the Cambridge Police Cadet Program; they are the third and fourth Cadets to graduate from the Cambridge-Northeastern Police Academy and join the Cambridge Police Department.
• Officer Dana Cokely had been a Dispatcher with the Cambridge Emergency Communications Department. She joins her sister, Kristen Cokely, at the Cambridge Police Department.
• Five officers (Daniel Adorn, Michael Dovidio, Wisford Exilhomme, Kinnflo Michel, and Timothy Francis) were previously employed at the Cambridge Health Alliance. Officer Sean Joyce was employed as a Security Officer at the Boston Medical Center and Lowell General Hospital.
• Officer Michael Wyche worked in the Cambridge Public School Department.
• Officer Aidan Burke, who previously worked in Security at Draper Labs and with the Boston Red Sox, is the son of the late Cambridge Police Officer Edward “Eddie” Burke. 
• Officer Lilian Garcia worked as a payroll operations specialist at MIT.
• Officer Eli Ward was previously employed by The Office of the Attorney General as an investigator.

The Cambridge - Northeastern Police Academy is a Massachusetts Police Training Council (MPTC) certified training academy for new student officers. All elements of the Academy experience are aligned with the four pillars of procedural justice: fairness, voice, transparency, and impartiality.  Recruits learn that policing is a “people business” and that their success as officers will depend in great part on their ability to listen to and talk with the community members whom they encounter.  A key element of the training is the focus on experiential learning by having officers engage in scenario-based activities and community outreach.

For pictures and videos from Saturday’s graduation, please visit www.facebook.com/CambridgePolice.