By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY — There were smiles all around as two veteran township police officers were promoted and sworn into office at the Township Committee’s last meeting of the year on Dec. 15.
Acting police Capt. Thomas Wain was sworn into office and officially made police captain as his wife, Kim, and son Luke and daughter Amy stood at his side. His wife swapped out his lieutenant’s badge for a shiny captain’s badge.
Capt. Wain was also appointed to the post of police director. He replaces former police Capt. Robert Palmer, who held both posts until he retired in October.
Sgt. Kurt Rock was promoted to lieutenant and was also sworn into office. As daughters Kaitlin and Emily watched, his wife, Dawn, removed his sergeant’s bad and pinned a new lieutenant’s badge on her husband’s uniform.
Capt. Wain praised the Township Committee for its commitment to ensuring the safety and security of the residents, and for providing the Police Department with the equipment that the officers need to carry out their duties.
“This is a challenging time to be a police officer,” Capt. Wain said, adding that he was honored and humbled to lead the Police Department. There is no better group of officers to work with, he added.
“They do their jobs right. They make sure they do their jobs in a way that won’t ever violate anyone’s rights,” Capt. Wain said of the Montgomery Township police officers.
Capt. Wain also praised three retired police officers — Lt. Guy Fillebrown, Capt. James Curry and Capt. Robert Palmer. They were his mentors and were instrumental in laying the groundwork for his career, he said.
He also acknowledged the six civilian staff members of the Police Department. They are the “unsung heroes” who make the police officers’ jobs easier, he said.
Pointing to his family — his parents, his wife and his children who were sitting in the audience — Capt. Wain said his wife and children are his three best friends.
He said police officers may see some unpleasant things, and it’s comforting to go home to his three best friends. They are supportive.
Lt. Rock, acknowledging that he is a man of few words, thanked everyone for coming to the swearing-in ceremony — family, friends and police officers. He also thanked Township Committee and other township officials.
“Thank you for selecting me (to become the newest lieutenant),” Lt. Rock said. “I am so looking forward to being a leader in this (police) agency, the way the retired police officers did.”
Mayor Patricia Graham congratulated Capt. Wain and Lt. Rock. She agreed with Capt. Wain that policing is becoming a very difficult job. This is a “top-rate” police department, she said.
Working with the police department, recognizing leadership and promoting new leaders from within the department is one of the most rewarding things that Township Committee does, Mayor Graham said.
Deputy Mayor Ed Trzaska said the evening’s promotions of Capt. Wain and Lt. Rock marked the transition to the next generation of leaders in the Montgomery Township Police Department.
The promotions also are the culmination of a lengthy transition process that began about four or five years ago, when township officials realized that several police officers were planning to retire, Mr. Trzaska said.
