Crime & Safety
Newark Students Receive Police Scholarships
Department has awarded tens of thousands in memory of slain Newark officers.
Chumani Heard, a sixth-grader at St. Philips charter school, is a petite young woman with big dreams -- to become a “dancer, an actress and an artist.”
Thanks to the Newark Police Department, those dreams are a step closer to reality. Chumani was one of five recipients of the department’s memorial foundation scholarships, which were awarded Tuesday during a brief ceremony at the NPD’s Clinton Avenue headquarters.
“It’s become something near and dear to us, something integral to the department,” said Newark Police Director Samuel DeMaio, who presided over the ceremony.
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“We owe a debt of gratitude to the people we serve,” DeMaio added.
The scholarship program began in 2011, shortly after DeMaio and Chief Sheilah Coley were promoted to their current jobs. Around the same time, on May 26, 2011, William Johnson, a Newark police officer, was killed in a drive-by shooting.
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The tragic loss of Johnson -- for whom a community room is named at police headquarters -- inspired DeMaio, Coley and Sgt. Ron Glover to find a way to honor him and other fallen officers.
Using surplus cash from a party organized in their honor, as well as funds from events like golf outings and cigar nights, about 20 scholarships totaling $36,000 have been awarded to date, said Glover.
The scholarships -- which are given to Newark students to use towards tuition at colleges or private high schools -- are each named for a slain Newark police officer.
Chumani’s mother, Marcia, said her daughter will use the funds towards tuition at the Winston School in Short Hills.
“When I heard she received the scholarship, I felt like one of those people on TV who just won the grand prize,” Marcia Heard said.
As the niece of a Chicago police officer who was fatally shot while pursuing a robber, Marcia Heard also said her daughter's scholarship -- named for Dewey J. Sherbo III, who was killed Nov. 9, 1997 by the driver of a fleeing stolen car -- has an even more profound significance for her family.
“I was thinking there should be something like this for my uncle, in Chicago. The scholarships help keep the officers’ names alive. [The Newark memorial scholarship] would be a model for other police departments to build relationships with their communities.”
The other scholarship winners are:
Isaiah Cromwell, a sophomore at Franklin and Marshall College, who was awarded the Det. Michael Morgan Scholarship. Morgan was killed in November 2011 while trying to stop an armed robbery.
Taylor Valentin, a junior at Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair, was awarded the scholarship given in memory of Officer William Johnson
Joshua Medina, a student at Florida’s Rollins College, received the Sgt. Thomas Popolizio Scholarship. Popolizio was killed March 3, 2007, when his patrol car was rammed during a chase.
Justin Daniels-Bowman, who will attend Seton Hall Prep in the fall, received the Officer Melvin Lisojo Scholarship. Lisojo died when a motorist ran a red light and slammed into his car as he and his partner were responding to a call June 24, 2003.
For more information on the scholarship program, or to donate, call Sgt. Ron Glover at 201-396-4636.
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