12 New Reserve Officers Added to Peabody Police Ranks

On the heels of swearing in 17 new reserve firefighters two weeks ago, the city has just added 12 new reserve police officers to the force.

Mayor Ted Bettencourt, Police Chief Robert Champagne and City Clerk Tim Spanos swore in the new officers at City Hall Sept. 26 with family, friends and the men's future colleagues looking on.

The new reserves come from different backgrounds, two of them being military veterans -- Corey Salvo and Damien Mello. Two men on the list are also on the firefighter reserve list -- Daniel Hinchion and William Thong.

Bettencourt told Peabody Patch in a recent interview that's a practice the city has traditionally allowed and he wished to continue that. Once the men were appointed either to the police or fire department, they would be taken off the other list.

You may notice Michael Bettencourt on the new list, but the mayor says there's no relation. Bettencourt added, with a laugh, that he'll be making another appointment soon for another Bettencourt and he isn't related either.

As for experience, the new reserves have only taken the civil service exam, but they will be able to get some on-the-job training in the days ahead -- Bettencourt said reserves are occasionally used for traffic details and operations of that nature.

While the firefighters' union has no agreement to allow reserves to be called upon for duty before they're appointed for vacancies, the police officers' union does have a provision, but it requires that all eligible full-time officers be given overtime first before tapping the reserves.

Here are the names of the new reserve police officers:

• Corey Salvo (veteran)
• Damien Mello (veteran)
• Michael Bettencourt
• Andrew Greenberg
• Timothy Sullivan
• Kevin Guilherme
• Michael Plomondon
• William Thong
• Daniel Hinchion
• Andrew Long
• Albert Lopes
• Joseph Maroney