MONROE — Mayor Gerald W. Tamburro credited a “hardworking” police force and the department’s leadership for the recent mention in a number of national and regional surveys ranking Monroe as a safe city.
Safewise recently ranked Monroe as the seventh safest city in the country to raise a child, the National Council for Home Safety and Security identified the township as the 14th safest in the state and the FBI’s (Federal Bureau of Investigation) latest Uniform Crime Report statistics placed Monroe as one of the safest in Middlesex County.
“Quite a few factors played into these rankings: everything from high school graduation rates to emergency preparedness training and of course, crime rates,” Tamburro said. “But I would largely credit our hardworking police force, not to mention our leadership there, with the township’s improved safety standings.”
Township officials honored members of its law enforcement at a council meeting on July 5.
Tamburro presented Police Chief Michael E. Lloyd with the Community Leadership Award in recognition of his outstanding guidance and direction of the township’s Public Safety Department.
Officials also recognized Patrol Division Officers Anthony Trohalides, Dale Degraw, Ostap Pronin and Trevon Robinson. All were recently honored by MADD-NJ (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) for their DWI enforcement, collectively accounting for more than three dozen stops in a year’s time.
“In a perfect world, these offenders would have never gotten behind the wheel in the first place,” Councilman Michael Leibowtiz said following the meeting. “But it does give me some peace of mind to know we have such an able bodied and diligent team of officers here who are patrolling and protecting our streets from these kinds of dangers.”
During the meeting, the council swore in Monroe’s newest officer, Patrolman Jake O’Brien, which brings the department’s complement to 54 officers.
O’Brien grew up in Monroe and is a graduate of Monroe Township High School. Following graduation, O’Brien earned a degree in criminology from Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania, where he played football. He attended the Mercer County Police Academy and previously worked as an investigator with the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office.
“Like all of our officers, we pray for his safety and that he will use good judgement each and every day that he puts on that uniform,” Councilwoman Miriam Cohen said. “My best wishes to Officer O’Brien for a long and fulfilling career here in Monroe.”