Medford Swears in Six New Police Officers

For six new recruits to the Medford Police force, Tuesday's swearing in was a long time coming.

The recruits, Frank Cugliata, Mark Cardarelli, David Ottaviano, Brandon M. Mean, Christopher Coughlin and Kevin Conway, were selected in November, but the state's police academies have all been booked up for months. They are all finally slated to attend the MBTA's police academy June 25.

They were sworn in by Mayor Michael McGlynn and City Clerk Ed Finn in a ceremony in the Mayor's office Tuesday afternoon.

"I think every one of these young men wondered if this day would happen," Police chief Leo Sacco said at the ceremony.

Dubbed by Sacco as "The Medford Six," the men will enter the force as patrolmen, provided they make it through the police academy. There are currently 93 police officers on the force in Medford, an all-time low, Sacco said. The new recruits will bring the total to 99.

"We're probably not as proactive as we'd like to be," Sacco said. "It's just not possible with these numbers."

The city hopes to have more police hires in coming, as it begins to turn the corner on the tough recent economic times, McGlynn said Tuesday.

"We are very fortunate to have a department that is committed to providing the very best in community safety and public service," McGlynn said.