Skills Gained On Previous Cable Company Job Come In Handy For Oakland Patrolman

Part of the skills Patrolman Charles Kelly applies to his job in the borough can be traced back to his employment years ago at a cable company.

In performing his duties, Kelly says, "I use the customer service approach I learned in the cable company and in my police training: Be courteous; people make mistakes; defuse situations; follow procedures."

He worked at the cable company for 13 years while he took Bergen Community College online classes.

He completed his degree and went on to the Bergen Police Academy.

He and his twin brother, George, had always wanted to be in law enforcement or firefighting.

In the summer of 2016, he became a police officer. And Kelly is also a part-time volunteer with the Oakland Fire Department, which he joined in 2003 and where he has held various leadership positions. His brother is a detective in the Haledon Police Department.

Kelly works days and nights. On a typical 12-hour shift, he gets his car loaded with medical supplies, checks his radar device and heads out to his patrol sector.

"The days can be very busy," he says, "so I eat my lunch when I can."

Patrolman Kelly worked on the Ramapo Valley Road project for six very hot weeks this summer.

"I do my work so that Oakland remains safe for all its citizens to enjoy freely and I hope Oakland will always have the small town qualities that makes it so good for many more years. It's a great town."

This story was written by newsletter correspondent Terri Casaleggio.