New Chief's First Act: Swear In New Officers

Bridgewater's Police Department added five new officers this week, and promoted two, immediately after Chief Manny Caravela was promoted at special ceremony Wednesday.

With chiefs of police from neighboring towns, Somerset County officials—including Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano and Sheriff Frank Provenzano—and a roomful of Bridgewater police, Chief Caravela repeated his oath of office, which Mayor Daniel Hayes noted is one of the things that separates police from other municipal employees.

"The thing that never escapes me is that these jobs require an oath—and there aren't many jobs that do that," Mayor Hayes said. "It is our core, it is our character, it is our honor.

"And we don't ask that of everybody, we ask it from our police men," he said. "And we ask them when they're promoted, whenever they take on new responsibilities, we ask them to do it again."

He then administered that oath to Manny Caravela for Caravela's fifth time, this time as the head of the department.

Mayor Hayes said he was pleased to have the opportunity to swear in Chief Caravela, noting that as word spread about the appointment, many people told him he'd made the right choice.

Taking the podium after his promotion, Chief Caravela thanked the visiting guests, officials and police officers and launched into his list of appointments.