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Sitting at a corner table in the front room of Rocky's Pizza, Vince Testa, 22, wolfed down the last of an early dinner while his father, Tony, 48, fixed his attention on a ceiling-mounted television.
Tony Testa, who immigrated to the U.S. with his wife, Assunta, from Napoli, Italy in 1985, has owned and operated the pizzeria since 1990.
The younger Testa's gray Thurmont Police uniform bulged over the bulletproof vest he wore. His night shift duty was about to begin.
"It's a great town to work in," Vince, a Thurmont native and Catoctin High School graduate, said. "The people are great, so I enjoy it."
Testa was sworn in as the 10th officer on Thurmont's police force Aug. 18 during a town meeting. He has been patrolling since late July, when his 10 weeks of field training ended and his career as an officer began in earnest.
Thurmont Mayor Martin A. Burns called Testa a "homegrown" recruit during the swearing-in ceremony, and, indeed, his experience growing up in the town of about 6,000, and the Thurmont Police Department's eager interest in him, persuaded him to join the force this summer.
The job pays about $37,000 per year to start.
Testa, who lives at home with his parents, said he's eager to prove himself as a law enforcement officer in his hometown. He's game for the work, no matter which shift he is placed on – officers rotate weekly.
"Things can happen at any time of the day," he said. "You don't know what to expect when you come to work."
Testa graduated from Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg in spring 2007 with a degree in criminal justice. He started out studying sociology, but switched to the new program and "never looked back."
"It really stuck with me in college," Testa said.
Testa began working as a security guard at Frederick Memorial Hospital during his sophomore year in college and he continued there until his senior year.
In fact, law enforcement was always in the cards for Testa, who graduated in May from the seven-month Frederick County Law Enforcement Academy.
"It was pretty much in the back of his mind, that's what he wanted to do," Tony Testa said.
Police work, Vince Testa said, is "the best job in the world, and "always will be."
Tony said for his son, the pizzeria at the corner of the Orchard Hills shopping center, will always be a refuge. Vince spent much of his high school years working there on afternoons and weekends.
Tony Testa said he and his wife, more commonly known as Tina, always encouraged their children to follow their own paths.
"We support him," Testa said.
They also have a daughter, Iolanda, who is a sophomore studying nursing at Frederick Community College.
