Patrolman Ian Hatch resigns from Washington Township Police Department.
By: Cynthia Koons
WASHINGTON Part-time detective and full-time Patrolman Ian Hatch resigned from the Washington Township Police Department this month to take a job in a department closer to his home.
He spent three years on the township’s police force, serving as a patrolman and recently taking a temporary detective’s assignment before he decided to move to the Wall Township Police Department.
The move was "nothing personal," he said. "(It is) just closer to home and a better opportunity for me."
Home for the 26-year-old police officer is Point Pleasant Beach, where he was born and raised and began his police career as a class 2 special officer in the Point Pleasant Beach Police Department.
"As far as Washington was concerned, it was a very professional place to work. I learned a lot," he said. "I was very fortunate for what I received there a lot of training experience. I worked with a lot of great officers."
Capt. Martin Masseroni said there have been no resignations since the retirements of Lt. Ralph Fiasco and Police Chief Paul Krych in 2001.
Their retirements came in the midst of investigations into alleged wrongdoing by the two policemen. In a 1999 workers’ compensation suit, an officer was awarded $165,000 for being "mentally incapacitated" by the two men.
Capt. Masseroni said the department has been stable since then, save for two officers taking disability leaves.
He said the department hopes to expand in the future. Right now, he said, the department is interviewing for the patrolman opening.
Mr. Hatch will be serving as a patrolman in Wall Township, which he said is larger in size and population than Washington Township.
"Right now I’m just taking it one step at a time. I’m trying to be very effective at the job that I’m doing," Mr. Hatch said.
"(Washington Township) itself was an excellent place to work," Mr. Hatch said. "I’m definitely going to miss it. I had a better opportunity here and at this point in my life I had to take advantage of it."