The 4 new officers,Naomi Reyes, Juan Rodriguez and Juan Taveras of Springfield, and Jeffery Ortiz of Holyoke, all served in the same MP unit in Iraq
View full sizeFour newly appointed police officers that all served in the same National Guard unit in Iraq, from left to right Juan J. Taveras, Naomi Reyes and Juan C. Rodriguez, all are Springfield Police and Jeffrey Ortiz, right a Holyoke Police Officer. They are all still active members of the 972 M.P. Company Massachusetts National Guard out of Reading Mass.SPRINGFIELD – High crime areas in Springfield and Holyoke are commonly described as “hot spots” or even “war zones.”
Four of the area’s newest police officers, Naomi Reyes, Juan Rodriguez and Juan Taveras of Springfield, and Jeffery Ortiz of Holyoke, know what real hot spots and war zones are like - and it’s not anything around here, they say.
“People say I left one war zone and jumped into another,” said Rodriguez, 27, of Indian Orchard. “It’s not true.”
The four served together in Iraq in 2007-08 in Iraq with the Army National Guard 922nd Military Police. They also were also among the 37 police recruits to graduate on Thursday from the Springfield Police Academy and will begin their police careers as early as Sunday.
Each said they’ve heard all the comparisons between Iraq and Springfield or Holyoke from friends and family. Sometimes people are joking, and sometimes they are not.
“My family was worried,” Ortiz said. “They say ‘you were in danger over there and now when you’re safe you’re looking for danger again.”
Ortiz, 26, a Holyoke native, said his family is proud of him for becoming a police officer, but they remain concerned.
“I just want to serve my hometown of Holyoke the way I did my country,” he said.
Rodriguez said there are places in Springfield and Holyoke that are hurting, where there are high amounts of crime and violence. But at its worst it’s still not comparable with Iraq at the height of the occupation, he said.
In their duties in Iraq, they provided security to top officials in the Iraqi government and the occasional visiting dignitary like former Vice President Dick Cheney or former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Basically, whenever a VIP wanted to go somewhere, the MPs would form a column in heavily armored, heavily armed vehicles and escort them to their destination.
Reyes, 28 of West Springfield, said their mission was more akin to serving on a specialized SWAT team than it was routine police work. “It wasn’t community patrols.”
Having prior military experience going into the police academy put them one up on other recruits who did not have that experience, Rodriguez said.
He said that with their experience at basic training and in Iraq, they came into the academy having the edge physically, mentally and emotionally.
“We knew from Day 1 they were going to come out screaming. We were ready for it.”
Springfield police Sgt. Brian Keenan, a member of the academy training staff, said it was clear from the beginning that the four were more on the ball than the other recruits. One could see from the outset that they were experienced with working as a team.
“Their commitment and dedication to disciple paved the way for their success,” he said.
Each were among the class members honored at graduation with awards.
Ortiz was ranked number one in firearms proficiency. Rodriguez was named the class’s Most Valuable Person, which was defined as the class member who did the most to help his classmates, in and out of the classroom.
Taveras, 24, of Springfield, said he really became interested in police work as a career while stationed together.
There were several state troopers and police officers from different communities in the unit who were called up to active duty. He said it was sitting around and talking with him that got him to give the job some thought.
Reyes said she has wanted to be a cop for a while.
“I joined the military to become a police officer. I joined right after Sept. 11,” she said. “Just like when I joined the military to serve my country, now I want to serve my community.”