FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
CHIEF THOMAS DELLANE STAFFORD TOWNSHIP PD
The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | June 2023
This is my last column as your President and I admit to feeling a bit melancholy as I pen this article . I remain grateful , honored and humbled to have had this opportunity to lead our great Association .
It seems like only yesterday I was sworn in at our conference in Atlantic City . This past year has been challenging and rewarding at the same time . Your Board of Officers was able to achieve a number of our goals for the year and managed to make progress on others that have not yet reached fruition .
Some of our achievements from the last year include : �� ��
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We attended numerous meetings on Police Licensing and provided many suggestions to improve the legislation . We advanced our Association ’ s presence in the legislature by meeting the leaders of both the Senate and Assembly . I am proud to say that our Association is consulted frequently , prior to bills being introduced so that we may provide our input before the legislation is voted upon in committee . Through the leadership of Chief Russo and his Chief ’ s Wellness Committee , we have made great strides in providing a trusted source for Chiefs to turn to when they need assistance for mental health and substance abuse issues . We worked together with the League of Municipalities to initiate conversations with the legislature , to identify reasonable revisions to OPRA to minimize the abuses and weaponization of the law that our agencies face on a daily basis . We worked with Supreme Court Chief Justice Rabner and other stakeholders to identify issues with our bail reform laws and made recommendations to the legislature to address the issues identified . Most importantly , with the assistance of our attorney , Vito Gagliardi and his team , we continue to vigorously protect our members from any attempts to erode the statutory authority guaranteed to all police chiefs .
I hope to see all of you at our upcoming conference in Atlantic City where we will induct Spring Lake Chief Ed Kerr as our new President .
On behalf of your Board of Officers and the Staff of the Association , I want to wish all of you a safe , happy summer .
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