The NJ Police Chief Magazine Volume 26, Number 7 | Page 6

The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | March 2020
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT
MITCHELL C. SKLAR
THE NEW JERSEY POLICE CHIEF MAGAZINE – TODAY and YESTERDAY
Each month I go through the NJSACOP archives to write the “From the Minutes” feature of our
NEW JERSEY POLICE CHIEF MAGAZINE. These minutes, w hich extend as far back as
our first meeting. I hope you agree they provide a fascinating insight into not only our
organization’s history, but also the history of our state, nation, and the policing profession.
Going through this exercise, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the evolution of
the NJ Police Chief itself. Our monthly publication does not go back quite as far as our monthly
meeting minutes, so I thought I would begin with the March 1999 edition. Full disclosure: I chose this particular edition
not only because it, like the magazine you are reading now, was published in the month of March, but because it
contained this little note from the President: “The Executive Board will be interviewing candidates for the Executive
Director’s positon on Monday, March 29 th at the West Windsor Police Department. We sent out 11 invitations for the
position, of which 10 have responded back to us.” As you might have guessed, I was fortunate enough to be one of the
11 invited to that interview, and, 21 years later, I have the honor to write this column each month.
The first thing to note about that March 1999 edition is that, rather than a magazine, the NJ Police Chief was in fact a
newsletter. Longtime members will recall that familiar blue mailer that arrived (US Postal Service permitting) some time
around the first of the month. Believe it or not, at that time the newsletter was actually still copied in the State Office,
stapled, folded, stamped and mailed out, all by hand in the Office.
Looking at the content of that March 1999 newsletter, a few interesting things stand out; specifically, a notation about a
recent court decision and an announcement about an upcoming State Chiefs Meeting. The note about the state
Supreme Court decision (State v. Widmaier), indicated that the Court unanimously held that “anything short of an
unconditional, unequivocal assent to an officer’s request to take a breathalyzer test is a refusal.” The newsletter also
informed the membership that the
NJ Press Association has been invited to appear before the membership at an upcoming meeting. They want to
discuss open access to records and the release of information.
A sign of things to come….
A year later, the March 2000 NJ Police Chief newsletter informed the membership that the Association was
working on constructing our own internet homepage.
By March 2002 the newsletter had grown to 24 pages, and was printed and mailed offsite. That edition included a notice
that on the 27 th of the month New Jersey would become the first state in the nation honoring fallen law enforcement
officers with a Law Enforcement Memorial license plate.
Starting with the September 2006 edition, the Association finally said goodbye to the old blue newsletter. The New
Jersey Police Chief w as now truly a magazine – printed in full color, with a wide range of articles, notices, ads, and
promotions for the Association’s various programs and services. The March 2009 edition notified the membership that
the current issue of the New Jersey Police Chief Magazine was in fact to be the final edition – of the printed version, that
is. As my March 2009 “Executive Director’s Report” put it
It is often not easy to keep pace with all the advances and changes in technology that are having an impact on
every industry and profession. As law enforcement professionals, our members are keenly aware of the
incredible changes that these advances have brought to the world of police work.
Like the police management sector, technology has changed the association management world as well. In
recent years the NJSACOP has significantly upgraded our internet presence…. And now technology is allowing us
to keep pace with the most advanced operations in the association world.
Now 11 years into publishing the New Jersey Police Chief Magazine as an online journal, the publication is more
dynamic, interactive, and immediate than any traditionally printed publication could ever be. Of course, if you are
reading this, you have already likely taken advantage of all that the magazine has to offer. We encourage all of our
members and stakeholders to do so each and every month. To quote, well, myself, from that final printed edition of our
Magazine, our monthly online periodical “is in keeping with our tradition of being at the forefront of professional law
enforcement – and association – management.”
Mitchell C. Sklar, Esq.
Executive Director
5