Frank O’Neill, a 2021 graduate of Verona High School, became the newest member of the Verona Police Department in a ceremony at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark today. While a middle school and high school student, O’Neill raced with the Essex Offroad Mountain Bike Team.
O’Neill is the 31st member of the Verona Police Department. The VPD added Officer Sean McMahon, a fourth generation Verona resident, in June, and in August, the VPD promoted Officer Joseph Pami, a 2012 graduate of VHS, to the rank of sergeant and promoted Sgt. Christopher Scheper to the rank of lieutenant. The VPD added three officers in December 2022: Shane Daly, Brendan Heller and Gregory Matesic. Chief Christopher Kieran says he hopes to expand the department to 34 members in 2024.
Next year could also see the construction of a new headquarters for the VPD, which has been operating from a cramped, outdated space in the Verona Town Hall for four decades. The new building will be located on Pompton Avenue just north of Linden Avenue and it could house other Verona first responders. Solutions Architecture, which designed the expansion of the Verona Public Library, will present its plan for the new space at the Town Council meeting on Monday, December 18.
