Title of chief a crowning merit in a long career

Mark Emann has 25 years on townhip force

By: Courtney Gross
   One of Mark Emann’s first exposures to law enforcement when he was growing up was a patrol car parked outside his boyhood home on Province Line Road.
   Used by his father, the late Walter Emann, who was a Princeton Township police officer more than 25 years, the parked car served as a piece of playground equipment in his early years.
   It was through this exposure — whether playing with the gadgets in his father’s vehicle or growing up around the officers of Princeton Township — that captured his interest in police work.
   "You grow up in a town and you have deep roots," he said. "You know the character."
   At Monday evening’s Township Committee meeting, he was officially sworn in as Princeton Township’s chief of police, taking on the title of a position he had taken in all but name only for nearly two years in a department he has been a member of since 1978.
   Having taken on the duties of chief from former Chief Anthony Gaylord in 2005, who was on paid leave and formally retired this month, Chief Emann said the department has been in a state of transition ever since, dealing with manpower reductions due to restructuring suggestions outlined in a 400-page study.
   Although the Princeton High School graduate has taken on the position’s roles and responsibilities since its vacancy, Monday night’s ceremonies made the move official.
   "The department and I can move on now," the chief said of the now official title. "It’s not the question mark of who is going to be the chief. … The administrative pyramid is complete."
   Chief Emann, who has a bachelor’s degree from The College of New Jersey, has overseen the reduction of the department from 35 uniformed officers to 31 and a tightening of the department’s budget.
   "Taking over the police department after the Buracker study was an exciting time," the chief explained, referring to the study released several years ago that led to an overhaul of the department. "We’re still in the midst of restructuring."
   From a round table in his Valley Road office, where a framed Dick Tracy poster hangs, Chief Emann, who turned 49 in January, described how he has gone through the ranks entirely at the Princeton Township department.
   From patrolling the streets as a new officer, to sergeant, lieutenant and finally captain, Chief Emann said his role as the head of the department is leaps and bounds away from where he started.
   "Every day is different on the road," the chief noted of his time as a rookie cop. "When the radio crackles you never know what you’re going to get."
   Although much of his responsibility now lies in paperwork and administrative duties, the chief noted, it is still the officers on the street who deserve all of the accolades.
   In the future, the Lawrence resident said, he would like to keep the department as community-oriented as possible, including working with the township’s adolescents and keeping up the camaraderie among all of Princeton Township’s officers.
   Also, the chief added, he would like to see an improvement in the fuel efficiency of the department’s fleet of vehicles and is looking toward incorporating a hybrid vehicle.
   Throughout his tenure, the chief said he has seen many highs and lows, as well as accomplishments and tragedies. From counseling officers in New York City following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to an exclusive FBI training camp he attended with fellow township police officer Capt. Robert Buchanan, Chief Emann said he looks forward to a new kind of excitement.
   His enthusiasm will now be garnered from running the department.