Wilmington PD Welcomes Back Two Officers From Lowell Police Academy

WILMINGTON, MA — The Wilmington Police Department announced that two of its officers graduated from the Lowell Police Academy on Friday and have returned to the community for additional training.

Robert DeGregorio and Jonathan Morales were hired by the WPD and sent to the academy, where they spent 26 weeks training in all aspects of policing, like: criminal law, motor vehicle law, defensive tactics and firearms, to name a few.

The academy, according to its literature, has trained over 1,100 officers for 105 different police departments since 1996.

"We've sent officers to the Lowell Police Academy for over 25 years and we've always found them to have a good product," Wilmington Deputy Chief Brian Pupa told Patch. "When they come from the Lowell Police Academy, officers do well in the department and the community."

Pupa said the department currently has three additional officers training in the Lowell academy.

DeGregorio and Morales now will spend the next 12 weeks training with the WPD's Field Training Officers, building on the skills they learned at the academy.

"They'll come back for a field training program in the community before being released on their own and policing the town," Pupa said. "For the next 12 weeks, people will see them around town, they'll be in uniform and riding with more veteran officers and training officers."

Pupa said he believes DeGregorio and Morales will become valuable members of the department.

"We went through the hiring process and they were candidates who really stood out," Pupa said. "We're excited to see them back at the department and look forward to them serving the Wilmington Police Department."