The NJSACOP sends its sincerest condolences to the families of :
Chief Alexander Heyesey Retired Life Member
Chief John Cifelli Retired Life Member
FROM THE PRESIDENT ’ S DESK CHIEF JOHN RUSSO , RUTHERFORD PD
The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | February 2025
For some , February is a slower time of year , but not for us here at the NJSACOP . On February 6th , First Vice President , Chief Andrew Caggiano , our Legislative Committee Chair , Chief Conrad Pepperman , and I jumped on a train to Washington , D . C . The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Walk to Washington and Congressional Reception provided us with an opportunity to meet with State legislators , business owners , and nonprofit organizers . As we rode from Newark to D . C ., the train cars were alive with activity and riders shuffling from car to car . We were able to meet a decent number of legislators during that ride and reception , and each one got to hear about the NJSACOP and the bills we support and others we are looking to get passed ( the Pension Bill is still the priority ). All in all , I thought the trip was a success and something the NJSACOP should continue to be a part of in the years to come . A huge thank you to Michael Turner and Jonathan Jaffe for facilitating many of the introductions . ( I apologize for missing the February NJSACOP monthly meeting to be on that train , and thank to Second Vice President Chief Kevin Carey for filling in and taking the lead ).
On February 13th , I was invited to the NJ State PBA office to take part in their podcast “ Union Strong : NJPBSA Voices Podcast ”. I appreciate the offer , and I felt the conversations about Chief / Officer relationships were productive and timely . Thanks to President Peter Andreyev for the invitation and VP Vincent Rizzo for moderating the podcast . I hope they can find some time to join us on ChiefTalk in the near future .
At the end of February , the Board will once again travel to Washington , D . C . to meet with our federal partners . These meetings are always productive and informative , but this year I am curious to hear how the Presidential transition has actually affected them and their agencies thus far . I have learned a long time ago to not put full faith in our news outlets and social media feeds . I prefer to get my information directly from the source when feasible . As I always say , NJ Law Enforcement will stand ready to assist in whatever way we can to assist our partners . Collaboration is key !
Meetings have continued with OPSI and I am happy to say we are seeing progress there . Our first meetings involved getting much needed changes to the Use of Force Barricaded Suspect Addendum as well as some changes to the restrictions which prohibited Chiefs from speaking with our local media after OIS events . I am happy to say we now have a template to use when dealing with our local media . It ’ s still restrictive , but far from the total gag order that was previously in place . I also believe we will see that changes to the Barricaded Suspect directive the working group pushed for prior to my next article . Fingers will remain crossed on that one .
The NJSACOP sends its sincerest condolences to the families of :
Chief Alexander Heyesey Retired Life Member
Chief John Cifelli Retired Life Member
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