Two Rowan officers cited for meritorious service

June 09, 2008

Two state organizations have commended a pair of patrol officers in Rowan University's Department of Public Safety for their work in saving a student from choking and in apprehending suspects in an armed robbery near campus.

Officer Matthew Perry of Winslow Township and Officer Bruce Vigliotta of Glassboro each recently received Meritorious Service Awards from ASIS (formerly known as the American Society for Industrial Security) Chapter 170 of South Jersey and from the New Jersey chapter of the Colleges and Universities Public Safety Association.

Last September, Perry's quick action saved a student from choking in Rowan's Student Center. Responding to a report of a medical emergency, Perry performed the Heimlich maneuver on the student, who was choking on a piece of food. The student made a full recovery.

Last December, Vigliotta was driving on routine patrol when he received a call of an armed robbery near Beau Rivage Apartments. Vigliotta was able to apprehend three suspects single-handedly. A fourth suspect was apprehended soon after when Vigliotta contacted him using one of the suspects' cell phones. Two guns were recovered at the scene, according to Reed Layton, Rowan's Assistant Director of Police Services.

A Rowan officer since 2006, Perry graduated from the Camden County Police Academy. He earned his associate's degree in criminal justice from Camden County College in 1997.

A graduate of the Cape May County Police Academy, Vigliotta became a Rowan officer in 2006. A veteran of the United States Marine Corps, he has taken courses at Coastal Carolina Community College, Park University, the Marine Corps Institute and Atlantic Cape Community College.