FREEHOLD – A new police chief has been sworn in to lead the Freehold Borough Police Department.
At the Borough Council’s meeting on March 4, Mayor Nolan Higgins administered the oath of office to Craig Dispenza, who officially began serving as chief on March 1. Dispenza succeeds Glenn Roberts, who retired on March 1 after serving as police chief since 2011.
Council President Kevin Kane said Dispenza joined the police department after graduating from the Monmouth County Police Academy, Freehold Township, in 1990.
Dispenza is a graduate of Brookdale Community College. He earned the designation of certified public manager from the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University in 2017.
Kane said that during Dispenza’s career in Freehold Borough, he has served as a patrol officer, sergeant and lieutenant. In 2012, Dispenza was promoted to captain. He was the second highest ranking member of the police department after Roberts.
In Freehold Borough, Dispenza has also served as a community relations officer, as the police department’s DARE officer, as a member of the Freehold Municipal Alliance to Prevent Substance Abuse and as a member of the Freehold Memorial Day Parade Planning Committee.
“Chief Dispenza developed the police department’s critical incident response protocol, he has worked closely with our school administrators to develop safety and security training and responses, he has overseen internal affairs investigations and he has collaborated with our department personnel to maintain our New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police accreditation,” Kane said.
After being sworn in, Dispenza thanked the former police chiefs and officers he had worked with who were present at his swearing in ceremony. He also thanked the current Freehold Borough police officers who were in attendance and asked them to stand and be recognized.
“Police officers of Freehold Borough, could you please stand up?” the new police chief said. “Thank you for coming out and thank you for your support. As we start a new chapter in the police department, we will write that chapter together.”