In Memoriam
Honoring a true Public
Safety servant
n BY MITCHELL KRUGEL
it organizations.
He was Director of the Bergen
Nearly every NJ State PBA memCounty Department of Public
ber in Bergen County from 1980
Safety, which includes the offices
through the turn of the millennium
and divisions of Consumer Affairs,
probably remembers a day when he
Weights and Measures, Medical
or she pulled into the Police AcadExaminer, Highway Safety, County
emy in Mahwah and saw the largPolice, Emergency Management
er-than-life, always-smiling man
and Public Safety Education/Law &
in charge. For 22 years, Ron Calissi
Public Safety Institute – Police, Fire
greeted every day and every recruit
and EMS Academies.
with an optimism and enthusi“He understood the importance
asm that inspired law enforcement
of the law enforcement professionthroughout the county.
al,” said William “Pat” Schuber, who
You can almost hear that smile,
became Bergen County Executive in
and certainly that enthusiasm,
1991 and tabbed Calissi to be Directhrough the telephone when talking
tor of Public Safety. “He recognized
to the love of Calissi’s life, his wife
there needed to be another level of
Deborah Fredericks. Even six weeks
training for law enforcement, saw
after losing Ron to a heart attack on
the need to provide that for those
Sept. 23 at 69 years old, Deb’s effulooking for promotion and beyond
siveness spoke volumes about the
and encouraged the chiefs to recoglegacy he left on law enforcement
nize that was important.”
and education.
Calissi’s passion for law enforce“In the Grateful Dead song, ‘I
ment came from his father, Guy,
Need A Miracle,’ there is a line: ‘Too
the noted Bergen County Prosecumuch of everything is just enough.’
tor for 16 years. Guy Calissi gained
That was definitely Ron,” Deborah
renown for prosecuting Thomas
confirms. “He lived it full-tilt booTrantino for the 1963 murder of two
gie. He was about being alive and
Lodi officers. “His dad gave Ron the
giving all the way.”
sensitivity to support the law enThe morning he suffered his
forcement community,” Schuber
heart attack, Calissi was doing what
explained.
he loved most, bringing education
Former Bergen County Sheriff’s
Sensitivity inspired the pasto the masses. He had hosted a
sion
that made Calissi a confident
Officer and Director of Bergen
brunch at his house to kick off the
risk-taker, risks built on relentless
County Public Safety
fall semester at Fairleigh Dickinresearching. His home was filled
son University, where he served as
with books. He often listened to
the Executive Associate Dean and
TED Talks, constantly checked YouDirector of the School of AdminisTube for ideas from instructional
trative Science at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Petrocelli
videos and made it a point to listen to people to prompt ideas
College of Continuing Studies, a position he had worked since
and solutions.
2001. He led the addition of the Master of Science in HomeBut Calissi was known throughout public safety and educaland Security that has helped many officers find second cation as a talker. He could go on for 45 minutes with an answer
reers.
to one question. “We called that the ‘Full Ronnie,’” Schuber
A former Bergen County Police officer, county prosecutor’s
shared.
investigator and special state investigator with the New Jersey
His gift for gab made the experience for recruits in the AcadDivision of Criminal Justice, Calissi was also an instructor or
emy classroom so memorable.
consultant for an array of agencies, including the United Na“He always used this word for education and entertainment
tions, the American Red Cross, the Port Authority of New York
mixed together: ‘edutainment,” Fredericks related. “He tried
and New Jersey and nearly a dozen other public and non-prof-
In Memoriam
Ron Calissi
www.njcopsmagazine.com
■ NOVEMBER 2016 71