TINTON FALLS – 12 officers in the Tinton Falls Police Department have been promoted to serve as the command staff of the new police chief.
The officers were sworn in to their new positions during a Borough Council meeting on May 3.
Municipal officials said Kyle Pierson and Scott Trocchia were promoted to captain; Joseph LoPresti, Blake Rutherford, Keith Terbecki and Anthony Turso were promoted to lieutenant; and Christopher Grimm, Elena Mazzeo, Daniel Osofsky, Joseph Schuler, Robert Wilson and Matthew Yurcisin were promoted to sergeant.
The promotion ceremony was conducted by Police Chief Michael Delucia, who took command of the police department in February.
Delucia said when he became police chief, he recognized the importance of promoting officers to become his command staff.
“I stepped into this role and we knew we had to promote 12 officers,” he said. “I knew the best of the best. It is very important to me to have a great command staff. These 12 officers went through a promotional process and earned these spots. I am very happy for them and I am very happy for the families here.
“This department is going to keep growing and growing and getting better and better. That is the main goal, to keep the services to the best of our ability to the residents, the business owners and anyone who travels through Tinton Falls. These 12 officers, along with myself and the rest of the officers, the whole department, is the best of the best,” Delucia said.
The police chief noted that Mazzeo is the first female sergeant in the Tinton Falls Police Department.
Borough Administrator Charles Terefenko praised the 12 new command staff officers and thanked Mayor Vito Perillo and the members of the Borough Council for their support during the promotion process.
Delucia and Terefenko said the police department is undergoing a new hiring process.
Borough Council President Tracy Buckley and Councilman Dr. Lawrence Dobrin praised the moves, with Dobrin saying, “As I continue with my 22nd year as a New York Police Department honorary police surgeon, I am well aware of the difficulties and rewards these police officers face daily. So I want to thank them for their continued excellent service to our borough.”