NBPD promotes officer to sergeant's position
BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer

NORTH BRUNSWICK — The township held a ceremonial swearing in for Sgt. Cory Harris on Oct. 20.

Harris, 36, grew up in North Brunswick and graduated from North Brunswick Township High School. He received an associate degree in criminal justice from Middlesex County College and continued on at Rutgers University.

The Milltown resident said he "just decided in high school" to pursue a career in law enforcement, and after Rutgers he entered the police academy for Monroe Township in January 1995.

In 2001, Harris said he returned to North Brunswick because "I wanted to work in my hometown."

The first person in his family to become a police officer, Harris was officially promoted to sergeant the last week of August, filling a position vacated by Sgt. John Haas, who moved into the Detective Bureau due to a reorganization of the police department. Harris had originally taken his promotional exam in 2006, and he ranked No. 2 behind Haas when the results were released in February 2007.

"It's a challenging role," Harris said of being a police officer. "It's not the same routine every day … and it forces you to think a lot, and I like that about it."

Harris, who previously worked as a patrolman, is now the road supervisor for a squad of six on the midnight shift. He now sends his fellow officers out to their assignments, goes over their reports and handles any issues they may come across.

"It's something different, after 14 years of being on patrol," he said. "I like having more responsibilities."

As far as past accomplishments are concerned, Harris received a lifesaving award, along with patrolmen Myron Cox, Wayne DeGaetano and Cullen Kushnir, for performing CPR on and reviving a 2½-year-old baby who was not breathing on Feb. 29.

He received a unit citation, along with patrolmen Cox, DeGaetano, Joseph Falcone, Chris Falletta and Kushnir; detectives Michael Braun and Robert Powell; Lt. Dan Daino and Lt. Brian Hoiberg; and public safety telecommunicators Darleen Farrell and Marie Santoro, for locating a stolen vehicle out of Philadelphia in a Jersey Avenue parking lot on Jan. 10. Three suspects were apprehended and the investigation that followed resulted in the end of a stolen-vehicle ring across several states that involved sending the vehicles to another country.

He also received a letter of commendation, along with Sgt. Anthony Falcone, patrolmen Andrew Heuer, DeGaetano, Alex Obando, Jason Hatez and Cox, and senior telecommunicator Meredith Speizer, for the safe resolution of an incident when a suicidal man was in possession of a handgun on Jan. 5, 2006.

Contact Jennifer Amato at

jamato@gmnews.com.