Methuen Police Department Welcomes Five New Officers

METHUEN — Mayor Neil Perry and Acting Chief Kristopher McCarthy are proud to announce the graduation of five officers from the Northern Essex Community College (NECC) Methuen Police Academy,

Officers Jeffrey McAndrew, James Keating, Felicia Bistany, John Laurenza and Brady Abraham graduated on Friday, April 16, after completing 764 hours of classroom instruction, skills development and testing.
“I am very proud of these five officers,” Mayor Perry said. “They have all made a choice to enter this profession at a time where they will face intense challenges and have dedicated themselves to mold policing into the future. Each of them has the power to define what it means to be a police officer.”
“I’m so impressed with Brady, John, Jeffrey, James and Felicia and their courage to become a police officer in these trying times,” Acting Chief McCarthy said. “I have been impressed with their enthusiasm, dedication and commitment. Each will complete a full training program before rotating onto working themselves as street officers. I am looking forward to watching their development as they start their careers.”

• Officer Jeffrey McAndrew is a lifelong Methuen resident. He graduated from Methuen High School in 2011 and graduated from The University of Massachusetts Lowell in 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice with a concentration in policing. Officer McAndrew was inspired to become a Methuen Police officer after having the opportunity to participate in several ride-alongs when he was younger. He has been working as a Reserve Officer with the Department since 2018.
• Officer James Keating is a lifelong Methuen resident. He attended Central Catholic High School in Lawrence and Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill, where he studied Criminal Justice. Prior to joining the Methuen Police Department, Officer Keating spent 11 years working as a contractor with G4S Security Solutions at Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant in Seabrook, N.H. Officer Keating was hired as a Reserve Officer with the Police Department in 2017. He is married and has three children.
• Officer Felicia Bistany is a Methuen resident and has served as a reserve officer with the Police Department since 2018, after graduating from the New England Law Enforcement Training Center. She is a third-generation police officer, following in the footsteps of her mother and grandfather. Before becoming a full-time officer, Officer Bistany attended classes at Northern Essex Community College and was employed by the Lawrence Public School Department for several years.
• Officer John Laurenza graduated from Curry College in Milton in May 2019 with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology. From 2019-2020, Officer Laurenza worked as a correctional officer for the Essex County Sheriff’s Department and as a security officer at Lawrence General Hospital. He graduated from the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Training Alliance in August 2020 and began the NECC Methuen Police Academy that November. During the Academy, Officer Laurenza received the Top Gun award for his firearms skills and the Physical Training award for his performance in fitness testing and training.
• Born and raised in Methuen, Officer Brady Abraham has given back to the community since 2016 as an Intermittent Officer for the department. He previously worked as a security officer for Lowell General Hospital. Officer Abraham completed his Associate’s degree in Criminal Justice from Northern Essex Community College in 2016.

All five officers will complete a two-week training rotation consisting of additional firearms, Taser, first-aid, officer rescue and lifesaving training.
Officers McAndrew, Keating and Abraham have completed a 17-week Field Training program and will be assigned to a shift by the end of April. Officers Bistany and Laurenza will begin the 17-week Field Training program assigned to a veteran Field Training Officer and will be scheduled to complete their training during the summer.