Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Police Profiles
FARMINGTON OFFICERS RECEIVE PROMOTIONS
FARMINGTON — Two Farmington police officers, James Bertorello and John Collins, recently received promotions.
Bertorello was promoted from corporal to patrol sergeant and Collins was promoted from patrolman to corporal.
Bertorello has 15 years of law enforcement experience and has worked for Washington County Juvenile Detention Center and Washington County Detention Center. He has been with Farmington more than nine years.
Bertorello moved with his family from Riverside, Calif., to Lincoln when he was in middle school. He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1997.
He has worked in different trades, such as construction, and started at the Juvenile Detention Center so that he would have a stable job. He liked the work and his career has progressed from there, Bertorello said.
“Everyday is different. You never know what’s going to happen. Today can be nothing and tomorrow can be call after call after call,” Bertorello said.
He said he likes working in Farmington because of the people.
Bertorello was treated and released from Washington Regional Medical Center in November 2016, after he was accidentally shot while on duty when a gun discharged. The bullet went through a wall and struck Bertorello in the hand and thigh. He had five fractures in his right hand.
Bertorello was back on light duty within a month and returned to full-duty in mid-March.
Bertorello is married and has a 14-year-old and a 10-year-old.
As patrol sergeant, he said he is over the patrol division, which includes the school resource officer and detective.
Collins joined Farmington Police Department in February 2016.
Along with being a Farmington officer, Collins also serves as an alderman on West Fork City Council and is a former member of Greenland School Board.
He started in law enforcement in 1996 and has a total of 16 years of experience in the field. He worked for Washington County Sheriff’s Office for 10 years and then left to work as a security contractor for Halliburton in Iraq.
When he returned, he started with West Fork Police Department in 2010 and then became chief in 2013. Collins resigned from the chief’s position 1 ½ years later.
He said he ran for West Fork City Council because he wanted to make a difference in the community.
“I was unable to do that as police chief so I ran for City Council,” Collins said.
Collins said he applied for the Farmington position because he wanted to return to law enforcement. He said he expects to remain in Farmington until he retires.
“This is a Godly department,” Collins said.
“I work with a bunch of good people and I love my job.”
Collins and his wife have been married 27 years. They have two grown children, two grandchildren and a third grandchild on the way. His oldest son is with Fayetteville Police Department.