The East Brunswick Police Department has been undergoing some changes recently, including the retirements of four longtime officers and the promotions of six others.
Capt. Thomas Crothers The officers who recently retired are Capts. Edward Mitchell and Scott Mayer and Lts. Robert Strempek and Thomas Bennett. Mitchell, Mayer and Bennett each served 31 years with the department; Strempek served 30.
Township officials held a ceremony earlier this month to swear in the six officers being promoted — Officers Thomas Crothers and John Napoli, to captain; Officers Gerald Ravaioli and James Conroy, to lieutenant; and Officers Robert Kearstan and Eric Raps, to sergeant.
The department currently has 86 sworn members, which is down from 93. Lt. William Krause said the reduction is due strictly to attrition.
“We are currently looking to hire one officer to replace a sergeant who is retiring in a month,” Krause said. “We are also looking at grant opportunities
to bring our roster back close to full strength.”
Capt. John Napoli East Brunswick’s Patrol Section remains fully staffed, he said, due to the movement of personnel from other areas.
The department provided the following background on the promoted officers:
• Capt. Thomas Crothers, a 24-year veteran of the department, will be commander of the Operations Division.
Crothers was assigned to the Patrol Section upon his graduation from the municipal class of the New Jersey State Police Academy at Sea Girt in 1984. In 1988 he was transferred to the Tactical Unit of the Special Operations Division
and in 1993 to the InvestigativeDivision, where he performed the duties of a detective. In 1998 he was promoted to sergeant in the Patrol Section, where he served as a squad supervisor. In 2000, as a detective sergeant he assumed the responsibility of squad supervisor. In 2002 he was promoted to lieutenant and served as a watch commander in the Patrol Section. Since 2005, he has served as the commander of the Traffic Section.
Crothers has an Associate of Science degree in criminal justice from MiddlesexCountyCollege and a Bachelor of Arts degree in law and justice from Glassboro State College. He is a graduate of the Northwestern University School for Police Staff and Command. He has also served as the assistant commander on the department’s SWATteamand has received several awards and letters of commendation.
Lt. Gerard Ravaioli • Capt. John Napoli, a 23-year veteran, will command the Investigative Division.
Napoli was assigned to the Patrol Section upon his graduation from the Middlesex County Police Academy in 1986. In 1996 he was transferred to the Investigative Division, where he performed the duties of a narcotics detective. He was promoted in 1997 to sergeant in the Patrol Section, where he served as a squad supervisor. In 1999 he was transferred to the Investigative Division to assume the responsibility of the Anti-Crime Unit supervisor. In 2002 he was promoted to lieutenant and has since served as a watch commander in the Patrol Section, as the internal affairs officer, and most recently, assistant commander of the Administrative Division.
Lt. James Conroy Napoli has obtained an Associate of Science degree in criminal justice from Middlesex County College, a Bachelor of Science degree in the administration of justice from Thomas Edison State College, and a Master of Arts degree in leadership and public administration from Centenary College. He is a graduate of the West Point Command and Leadership Program and has completed the New Jersey Certified Public Manager Program Levels I, II and III. He has served as field training officer, a member of the Emergency Response Team and as liaison to the East Brunswick Alcohol and Drug Alliance. He has received several letters of commendation.
• Lt. Gerald Ravaioli, a 27-year veteran, will be assistant commander of the Investigative Division.
Ravaioli was assigned to the Patrol Section upon his graduation from the municipal class of the New Jersey State Police Academy at Sea Girt in 1982. In 1988 he was transferred to the Investigative Division as a detective. In 1996 he was transferred to the Traffic Section as a motorcycle officer and accident reconstructionist. In 1999 he was temporarily transferred to the Administrative Division to coordinate the recruitment process. In 2001 he was promoted to sergeant and transferred to the Patrol Section as a squad supervisor. In 2004 he was transferred to the Investigative Division to serve as a supervisor.
Sgt. Eric Raps Ravaioli obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Kean University in 1981. He has also served as a field training officer, hostage negotiator, member of the New Jersey Crisis Intervention Stress Management Team, and as a department instructor for several inservice training programs. He has received the Director’s Award for Excellence, a Commander’s Citation for outstanding police work, and several letters of commendation.
• Lt. James Conroy, a 15-year veteran, will be assigned to the Patrol Section as a watch commander.
Conroy was assigned to the Patrol Section upon his graduation from the Somerset County Police Academy in 1994. While in that section, he served as a field training officer and drug recognition evaluator. In 1998 he was transferred to the Investigative Division as a member of the Anti-Crime Unit. In 2002 he was promoted to sergeant and transferred to the Patrol Section as a squad supervisor. In 2008 he was transferred to the training facility as the department’s range master.
Sgt. Robert Kearstan Conroy serves as a sniper on the SWAT team and has received the Distinguished Service Award and earned several letters of commendation. He earned a degree in marketing from Rider University and a Master’s Degree in human resources training and development from Seton Hall University.
• Sgt. Robert Kearstan, a 25-year veteran, will be assigned to the Patrol Section as a shift supervisor.
Kearstan was assigned to the Patrol Section upon his graduation from the municipal class of New Jersey State Police Academy at Sea Girt in 1984. In 1998 he was transferred to the Investigative Division as a detective.
Kearstan is currently attending Caldwell College in pursuit of a Bachelor’s Degree in criminal justice. He is a graduate of the Reid School of Interview and Interrogation and has specialized in arson investigations. He is an emergency medical technician, an instructor certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and a departmental firearms instructor. He has served on the Emergency Response and SCUBA teams, has received awards for distinguished and meritorious service, and earned letters of commendation.
• Sgt. Eric Raps, an 18-year veteran, will be assigned as a detective sergeant in the Investigative Division. Raps was assigned to the Patrol Section upon his graduation from the Middlesex County Police Academy in 1991. In 1998 he was transferred to the Investigative Division as a detective.
Raps obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in criminal justice from Kutztown University. He is a graduate of the Reid School of Interview and Interrogation and is a certified voice stress analyzer/operator. He has served on the Emergency Response Team and has received two awards for lifesaving. He has also received the Director’s Award for Excellence, a meritorious service award and letters of commendation.