Definition of a Cop

When Steven Cucciniello, a 20-year veteran of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, was sworn in as the new Chief of Detectives for the office in October of last year, Prosecutor John L. Molinelli read a line from Cucciniello’s original resume from the New York City Police Department, where Cucciniello was a Midtown patrol officer before joining the Prosecutor’s Office in 1989.

"Maintain the peace, uphold the law, issue summonses, make arrests," Molinelli said, reading from Cucciniello’s old resume.

If that does not distill law enforcement down to its fundamentals, nothing does.

Maintain the peace. Uphold the law. Issue summonses. Make arrests. These are the core elements of the job.

This is not to imply that Cucciniello was qualified for his new job solely on his understanding of these basics. He holds a masters degree in criminal justice from Rutgers University, and has a history of success with investigations of narcotics and gangs. These contribute to his being well-suited to his new position.

But still. Have you ever seen such a succinct – and accurate – summation of a cop’s job? Maintain the peace. Uphold the law. Issue summonses. Make arrests.