hired as police roster
grows to 62 officers
Five new patrolmen
hired as police roster
grows to 62 officers
By dave benjamin
Staff Writer
MANALAPAN — Four township police officers were promoted during a recent ceremony at the municipal building.
"These promotions are somewhat overdue," said Police Chief John G. McCormack. "As the department increased in size and the population of the town has increased, the supervisory staff did not increase in proportion with the growth of the department."
McCormack said there are now 62 police officers in the department.
"Now we will have 14 supervisors," the chief said. "We’re still, hopefully, going to get more promotions in July to bring the number up."
McCormack explained that the results of a recent test which was given to officers seeking promotions is good for a period of two years. Most of the officers who take the test spend about $2,500 to take the preparatory courses before the examination.
The chief said he expected that there should be some additional promotions in June or July when some retirements become effective.
McCormack said that for the newly promoted officers, the lieutenants will be station commanders inside headquarters and the sergeants are road sergeants with seven patrolmen assigned to them. The chief said he is hoping to have more lieutenants and sergeants early next summer.
"What we are doing is fulfilling the supervisory mandate according to the attorney general’s guidelines of a department of our size," said McCormack.
Two patrolmen were promoted to the rank of sergeant and two sergeants were raised to the rank of lieutenant at the recent ceremony.
Lt. Lloyd Drucker, 36, joined the department in July 1987 as a patrolman. He was promoted in May 2000 to the position of patrol sergeant and later, sergeant in charge of detectives. Beginning Jan. 2 Drucker will hold the position of station commander. He also supervises the Police Explorers Post and is the Megan’s Law officer.
Drucker is a native of East Windsor and received an associate’s degree from Mercer County Community College, West Windsor. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two children and reside in Manalapan.
Lt. Christopher Marsala, 35, has been a member of the department since July 1990, first serving as a patrolman. In November 1998 Marsala was promoted to sergeant and became the supervisor of Squad "E". On Jan. 2, the new lieutenant became a station commander.
In addition to his regular duties, Marsala is also the lead department firearms instructor and a supervisor of the Critical Incident Response Team. Marsala has served as an academy instructor at the Monmouth County Police Academy and an instructor for the Division of Criminal Justice.
Marsala is a native of Manalapan and received an associate’s degree from Brookdale Community College, Lincroft. He resides in Howell with his wife, Kerry, and their two children.
Promoted to the rank of sergeant are Brian Carhart and Jeffrey Morrell.
Carhart, 46, joined the police department as a patrolman in June 1980 and was assigned to the traffic bureau. Carhart will become the shift supervisor of Squad "E." In addition to his other duties, the sergeant is also a member of the Crime Prevention Officers Association Triad.
Carhart is a native of Middletown and earned a bachelor’s degree from Jersey City State College and an associate’s degree from Brookdale Community College. The sergeant resides in Manalapan with his wife, Denise, and their three children.
Morrell, 31, joined the department as a patrolman in July 1990 and will become a shift supervisor of Squad "E." Morrell also serves as a department field training officer and a department radar instructor.
The new sergeant is a native of Howell, where he lives with his wife, Tamy, and two children. Morrell received an associate’s degree from Brookdale Community College.
In addition to the promotions, five new officers are joining the police department’s ranks. "Three of the new officers are replacements," McCormack said. "Detective Bob Fausak and Capt. Mike Rumola retired. One officer, Kevin Geoghan, went with his hometown in Hazlet. Those officers were replaced and we have added two additional officers."
The new officers are Charles Alaimo, Brian Dugan, Bryan Belardo, Jeffrey Emslie and Steven Kirschner.
Formerly a police officer in Seaside Park, Alaimo, 33, resides in Tom River and holds an associate’s degree in business administration from Ocean County College, Toms River.
Belardo, 23, a resident of Toms River, was formerly employed as a security officer at Kimball Medical Center, Lakewood. The new officer holds a bachelor’s degree in administration of justice and political science from Rutgers University. He graduated first in his class from the Ocean County Police Academy.
Formerly a Dover Township police dispatcher and seasonal Seaside Park police officer, Dugan, 24, comes from a law-enforcement family.
His father, Thomas Dugan, is a retired sergeant from the Dover Township Police Department and his brother, Thomas, is presently a police officer in Dover Township.
Dugan resides in Island Heights and holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Richard Stockton College, Pomona, and an associate’s degree from Ocean County College.
Emslie, 22, a resident of Marlboro, was formerly employed as a substitute mail carrier for the United States Postal Service. He is working toward a bachelor of arts degree at Montclair State University.
Kirschner, 30, was previously employed as an internal auditor with Community Distributors, Franklin Township. He is married and resides in the Port Monmouth section of Middletown. The new officer holds an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Brookdale Community College.
McCormack said the Township Committee is moving forward and allowing new officers to be hired each year.
"That’s the appropriate way to do it," the chief said. "It’s better to do it at a steady rate, rather than not hire anyone for a few years and then hire six or seven. That becomes a big drain on the department. I’m really pleased with how the governing body has treated the police department with both promotions and the hiring of personnel."