By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
It was a special night for the Montgomery Township Police Department as two veteran police officers moved up the ranks to be sworn in as police sergeants at the Township Committee meeting last week., Police officers Brian Hofacker and Jason Larsen were sworn into their new posts, with their families at their side – their spouses and children up front, and their police family lined up along the walls of the meeting room., Each wife pinned the shiny new sergeant’s badge on her husband’s uniform, while their children – Sgt. Hofacker’s son and daughter, and Sgt. Larsen’s two daughters – looked up at their fathers., Sgt. Hofacker joined the Montgomery Township Police Department in 2005 and served two years in the Patrol Division. He was assigned to the Detective Bureau, and has worked as the juvenile officer., Sgt. Larsen became a Montgomery Township police officer in 2002, and was assigned to the Patrol Division before moving over to the Detective Bureau. He was transferred back to the Patrol Division in 2015., Police Director/Captain Thomas Wain praised the two new sergeants., “This is an incredibly happy, proud night for the Montgomery Township Police Department,” Capt. Wain said. Both Sgt. Hofacker and Sgt. Larsen are “very deserving” of promotion, he said., Noting that he served as a sergeant for 14 years, Capt. Wain said that anyone who has had experience in the military or law enforcement knows that the sergeant plays an important role., “The sergeant is the most important piece in the rank structure,” Capt. Wain said. “They are out there every day and every night, making real-time decisions that impact their community and that impact their squad.”, A sergeant must have his officers’ trust and support behind him, Capt. Wain said. Both of the new sergeants already have that respect, support and trust behind them, and they will be successful in their new positions, he said., “Congratulations from me on behalf of the entire Police Department and the entire community. We think the world of you guys and we know you’ll do a great job,” Capt. Wain said., Mayor Ed Trzaska said the promotion process was smooth, and the candidates for promotion were “high quality.”, “It is a testament to the Police Department as a whole to have so many quality members. We know we selected two wonderful new sergeants,” Mayor Trzaska said.
