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HILLSBOROUGH: Retirements will bring changes at top of police force

By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
Retirements of Hillsborough’s two top officers means there’s a shakeup coming in the township’s police force.
Capt. Paul Merkler says he will retire at the end of the year. Chief Paul Kaminsky will follow Feb. 1.
Mr. Kaminsky has been police chief since 2006. He said he joined the force in August 1989. The chief said Capt. Merkler joined the force in 1990.
The chief said the two hadn’t coordinated their decisions.
The Township Committee authorized the promotion process of filling vacancies for chief, captain and lieutenant. It is expected two of the four lieutenants will be named chief and captain in upcoming weeks.
The 52-person force also has seven sergeants and six corporals.
Committeeman Frank DelCore, who is in his eighth year on the governing body, said “it’ll be interesting and very different without them, although I can understand their to retire and move on to other things. They will be missed. They have been incredible leaders in the community.”
This summer the Township Committee revised its police promotion procedures. Some said the ordinance changes give the Township Committee more of a say in the process.
Two entry-level officers were officially hired and sworn in Tuesday, too. One is Brian Hollenbach, a Hillsborough resident. The other is Carly Valentino, of New Brunswick, who will become the force’s only woman officer. They will each be paid an annual salary of $40,293.
At the meeting, the Township Committee gave Cpl. David Fisher a proclamation recognizing his heroic actions in pulling a front-seat passenger from a burning car when he came upon an auto accident in Raritan Township (Hunterdon) on Oct. 12.
Cpl. Fisher’s daughter, Sarah, who is 14, was riding with him at the time, and she called 9-1-1 and gave details of the incident to dispatchers. He said at the meeting he was extremely proud of his daughter for keeping her composure in such a stressful situation.
Cpl. Fisher has been with the Hillsborough force since January 1993.
“Every cop in this room,” said the corporal, noting many officers in attendance, “would have done the same thing I did. It goes to show a cop is a cop and we’re never off-duty.” 