Copping a different attitude in Saugus

SAUGUS – Lorenzo Internicola joined the Navy and saw the world, and then was a guard at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.Now, the Saugus native has come full circle, and he?s on the town?s police force.?I entered boot camp in March 2009 and made the rank to an Enlisted 5 in a year and a half, which is pretty quick,” said Internicola, who graduated from the police academy last year. “My home fort was in Norfolk, Va., but I spent the better side of my time there in Mississippi.”Internicola, a guard at Guantanamo from 2011-12, said he doesn?t believe that prisoners there are mistreated.?They receive the necessities they ask for, including food, clothing and shelter,” said Internicola, who now lives in Middleton. “It?s not how it was when former President Bush was in office. Once President Obama got put in, they were treated fairly and with respect. But they don?t reciprocate.”Internicola said he doesn?t agree with Obama on his attempt to shut the prison down.?The war terrorists from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Russia are there for a reason,” Internicola said. “They?d either get sent back to their countries, which might not want them, or to Leavenworth, a medium-security federal prison in Leavenworth, Kan.”He said the larger-than-life experiences have a special place in his heart, each one drastically different.He earned an associate?s in criminal justice at Marian Court College in 2008 and is working towards his bachelor?s there, expecting to graduate in May 2016.Internicola credits his accomplishments to his mentor, the late Professor Fran Brennan, 75, of Nashua, N.H., who died in April. Brennan began the criminal justice program at Marian Court College 20 years ago and was a highly decorated military officer in the Vietnam War.?I met Fran in 2006, and he was a mentor throughout my time there,” Internicola said. “I knew what direction I wanted to go in life, but he helped to push me in the right direction. When I graduated Marian Court, I was going to attend Salem State University for my bachelor?s, but after talking with him, I decided to enlist in the navy.”Internicola said his father, Nick, 60, a state trooper in South Boston, along with Brennan, have been sources of support and inspiration.?My father is a huge support, but it was nice having an outsider,” Internicola said. “Fran wrote me a letter of recommendation for this officer?s job. I couldn?t be thankful enough to have Fran in my life to help me in that sense.”Besides the letter of recommendation, being a veteran also gave him an edge to work in Saugus.But serving on the force isn?t his ultimate goal. He?d like to work for a federal law-enforcement agency.?It?d be nice to make the transition to a federal position such as a Drug Enforcement Administration or Federal Bureau of Investigation agent,” Internicola said. “Fran and my father both went to Anna Maria College, but I?m also looking at UMass-Lowell and Northeastern to pursue criminal justice.”By birthdate, he is the youngest on the Saugus Police Department. Seven out of 52 are between the ages of 26 and 30.?Being a police officer in a town where I grew up does have its up and downs, but I wouldn?t trade it in for anything,” said Internicola, who works the 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. shift. “If the opportunity arises to better my future, I?ll do so, but Saugus has a great police department. I get along well with everyone, even though I?m young.”