The former chief of the Fair Haven Police Department has been named the new director of the Monmouth County Police Academy, Freehold Township.
Sheriff Shaun Golden announced the appointment of Darryl Breckenridge as the academy’s new director. Breckenridge retired as Fair Haven’s police chief in September 2015 after serving 35 years in law enforcement.
“There is no one I would rather have lead the Monmouth County Police Academy than Darryl Breckenridge,” Golden said in a press release. “He brings with him a wealth of experience, exceptional leadership skills and shares the vision of maintaining and enhancing training at the academy, which as a result, will continue to produce the finest members of law enforcement who will serve the public.”
Breckenridge began his career in law enforcement as a special police officer in Fair Haven in 1976, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office. In 1977 he left Fair Haven to serve in the U.S. Army, where he was assigned to the 3rd ID Military Police Division in Germany.
When he returned home from duty, Breckenridge worked as an investigator at the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and after graduating from the Monmouth County Police Academy in 1985, became a patrolman for the Fair Haven Police Department. He rose through the ranks and was assigned to the position of detective in 1997. In 2000, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant and then lieutenant in 2002.
Breckenridge was named Fair Haven’s police chief in 2005 and remained in that position for 10 years before retiring in 2015.
“I am deeply honored to have been appointed to this position and I thank Sheriff Golden for allowing me this great opportunity to run the Monmouth County Police Academy,” Breckenridge said in the press release. “I intend to meet every challenge with enthusiasm and will take pride in providing the most challenging and effective training possible to our police recruits and veteran officers.”
In addition to training basic police and corrections recruits from throughout the state, as well as special law enforcement officers and county park rangers, the police academy offers in-service training courses to veteran members of law enforcement, according to the press release. Presently, the academy has 290 part-time instructors.
Breckenridge began as director the week of May 16 and takes over the duties of Undersheriff Ted Freeman, who was the interim acting director. In addition to his experience in law enforcement, Breckenridge received three honorable service awards, an exceptional duty award, and in 2008, attended the National F.B.I. Academy, according to the press release.