Dec. 19, 2023
By Ava Gonzalez
Staff Writer
Thirty-eight members of the Law Enforcement Club took a trip to the Lyndhurst Police and Fire Department headquarters on Nov. 6.
The trip was led by school resource officer Sgt. Passamano, who advises the Law Enforcement Club and has been a police officer for 21 years. He worked in the patrol division for 15 years and has been assigned to the Lyndhurst School District for the past six years.
Passamano said this was the first time the club, which is only open to seniors, visited these locations.
“The purpose [of] this trip was to help provide students with basic life-saving training in the event they find themselves in an emergency situation,” Passamano said. “Also, I wanted them to get some knowledge about the forensics side of law enforcement and how our detectives use specialized equipment to solve crimes.”
Students in attendance were provided with Stop the Bleed training and learned how to use a fire extinguisher.
“Police officers are usually the first to arrive on the scene of the situation. These situations can be very stressful, and having the training helps to keep you calm and able to help. On these calls, my training was vital because it better prepared me for the situation by applying life-saving measures and keeping the victim calm,” Passamano said.
Passamano provided the students with pool noodles and foam blocks to simulate wounds on the body. Students then practiced performing life-saving measures. He also presented a 45-minute slideshow that explained the training and use of different equipment, such as bandages, gauze pads and tourniquets.
The students finished the day with a tour of the Lyndhurst Police Department, which included the processing room and jail cells. Students even had a chance to step into several fire trucks.
Senior Rola Mustafa, who is a member of the Law Enforcement Club, said she enjoyed learning how to dress wounds, apply tourniquets and use gauze to treat open wounds.
“My favorite part [of the field trip] was learning more about the first responder treatments,” Mustafa said. “I also really enjoyed taking a tour of the facility. It was a really weird feeling to be inside a [jail] cell for the first time ever.”
“Although I’m not positive [about] what I want to do in the future, the field of forensics within criminology has always interested me.”
Additionally, students watched a presentation by Detective Thomas McSweeney to learn how law enforcement utilizes forensics to solve crimes. He used a can of Red Bull to demonstrate how fingerprints are examined and appear after being processed with chemicals.
Mustafa said she could relate McSweeney’s lesson to her own experiences because of Mr. Frew’s Forensic Science class, which she is taking at LHS.
“The presentation given on the usage of forensic science in the criminal field was super enthralling,” Mustafa said. “I could find myself already knowing about some of the topics because I had just learned about them in class, but it was still super exciting to see everything that I had learned [being] applied to real life.”
Mustafa said after the field trip, she feels confident enough to use gauze and tourniquets. She also said she better understands jobs in law enforcement.
“Although I’m not positive [about] what I want to do in the future, the field of forensics within criminology has always interested me. Law Enforcement Club can definitely help me pursue that career as we continue to learn about forensic science within law enforcement training,” Mustafa said.
Senior Nick Adamo, who is also a member of the Law Enforcement Club, said he was excited to hear about Lyndhurst officers’ daily routines.
“I decided to go on the trip to learn some new things that could be put to use,” Adamo said.
Adamo said he appreciated Passamano’s presentation about the nasal spray medicine Narcan, also known as Naloxone, which is administered into a person’s nostril to reverse an opioid overdose. Narcan is carried by law enforcement officers, paramedics and LHS’ school nurse.
“Overdosing accidents have unfortunately become more common in our world today. The presentation showed us how to use and save someone using Narcan. Having Narcan available can help to save a life in the scary and terrible event of an overdose,” Adamo said.
Adamo said he appreciated learning how to save a life in an emergency situation.
“This trip was definitely not just another trip [or] tour of the police station and Fire Department. I was able to learn useful life skills,” said Adamo.
