FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
CHIEF JOHN ZEBROWSKI SAYREVILLE PD
The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | December 2021
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank our NJSACOP staff for all their hard work making our recently concluded Mid-Year Conference a success . There is a great deal of planning , preparation and coordination needed between sponsors , vendors , presenters , our members and their officers to ensure our hosted event meets expectations . And , it did .
Both presenters — Chief Kristen Ziman , ( Ret .) and Commander Rich Norcross ( Ret .), provided extremely personal reflections in their presentations . Most presentations related to a critical incident tend to be clinical briefings with little time given to discussing the human impact on those directly involved , to colleagues , as well as , to their communities . Our presenters centered their discussions on the human element to these events while underscoring the importance of providing time and opportunity for healing .
Two principles - preparedness and professionalism , were also central tenets in each discussion . Shortly after her appointment , Chief Ziman relied upon her staff to identify certain needs related to training and resources . She credits those early efforts as critical to the agency ’ s response to the mass shooting on February 15 , 2019 at the Henry Pratt Company site . The Chief was also very clear that such a process must be ongoing and include periodic and unbiased meaningful review .
Commander Norcross made very clear that surviving a police involved shooting required proper mental focus . Using Captain John Paul Jones ’ immortal retort : “ I have not yet begun to fight !” when confronted with a request to surrender , Norcross employed this and similar quotes during his presentation to amplify the importance of being mentally prepared to handle the stress of these and similar critical incident events . The former Commander , who continues to mentor police recruits , provided great insight into the officer involved shooting on April 20 , 1995 in Haddon Heights .
We are greatly appreciative that both Chief Ziman and Commander Norcross were able to share their experiences .
In closing , I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the leadership you provide to your officers and communities , as well as , for all you do for our Association . Happy Holidays and on behalf of the Board of Officers and the NJSACOP staff , we wish you and your family a happy and healthy New Year .
Chief John Zebrowski NJSACOP President
The NJSACOP sends its sincerest condolences to the families of
Chief Donald Dowches Retired Life Member
Chief Joseph Perrino
Retired Life Member
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