ENGLISHTOWN – Peter Cooke, who has been serving as acting chief of the Englishtown Police Department, is expected to be named police chief during the Jan. 23 meeting of the Borough Council.
Cooke, who is officially a lieutenant in the police department, was named acting chief in 2018.
“I am grateful the council has decided to move forward with my promotion to chief,” he said. “I am looking forward to continuing to serve the Englishtown community as their chief of police.”
Cooke will become the first chief of police in more than eight years. Englishtown has not had a police chief since John Niziolek retired in 2010. After Niziolek retired, municipal officials removed the position of police chief from the municipal codebook.
In the years since Niziolek retired and officials eliminated the position of police chief, the duties of chief have been handled by Cooke, who is the highest ranking officer in the police department.
In 2018, council members re-established the position of police chief. With the position’s re-establised, Cooke was sworn as as the acting chief of police.
Cooke has served Englishtown as a police officer for 18 years. He previously worked as a campus police officer at Brookdale Community College, Lincroft.
Cooke joined the Englishtown Police Department in September 2000 as a Class II special law enforcement officer. In January 2001, he was promoted to full-time patrolman. In July 2007, Cooke was promoted to sergeant. In July 2011, he was promoted to lieutenant and began serving as the officer-in-charge.
Cooke will be responsible for the efficiency and day-to-day operations of the police department. Among other duties, he will administer and enforce the rules and regulations and special emergency directives for the disposition and discipline of the department and its officers and personnel; prescribe the duties and assignments of all department members and officers; and maintain the good order and discipline of the department.
According to the municipal code, the Englishtown Police Department will consist of no more than one chief of police, two sergeants and seven patrol officers (10 total officers).