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Brick Police Officers Moving Up The Ranks
By Keith Hagarty
For their years of hard work and dedication to the safety and welfare of the Brick community and its residents, four officers were recently promoted by the Township Police Department.
Chief of Police Nils R. Bergquist said it's no accident the four officers were chosen for advancement.
"Their dedication and hard work and their commitment to this department and the people of this community have been clear throughout their careers," he said. "Collectively, they represent eight years of service to this town."
The police promotions marked two firsts for the town. Captain Doug Kinney was the first officer to ever be appointed to newly formed position of deputy chief, while Sandra Mattheson, a member of the department since 2001, became the first women to attain the rank of sergeant. To date, Brick has had six female officers in the history of its Police Department.
"We're very fortunate to have four promotions that I think are well deserved," said Council President Ruthanne Scaturro.
Kinney's new role as deputy chief, also known as the operations division manager, means he will now oversee the department's 90-plus operation division staff, consisting of officers and supervisors.
"That's larger than most police departments in this state," said Bergquist. "The vast majority of our calls for service originate in that division and most of our interior divisional efforts are coordinated by operations division staff. The position of deputy chief will facilitate clear lines of communication, and further define the responsibility and authority that's commensurate with a command of that size."
As a member of the department since 1986, Lt. Marc Person was named to replace Kinney as one of the department's captains, with Sgt. Vincent Pacitti, a member of the department since 1985, appointed as Person's successor as lieutenant. Person has been the midnight shift commander for a several years, and spent the last year commanding the department's professional standard unit. He will now be commanding the department's investigations division.
Pacitti worked his entire Brick police career in the operations division, and will now take over for Person in command the professional standard unit.
The latest police promotions are the result of a department-wide restructuring enacted when Bergquist initially was sworn in as Dougard's replacement on January 1, said Mayor Stephen Acropolis.
As the first deputy chief of the Police Department, Acropolis said the new deputy chief position will help the police be even more productive and efficient.
"It's little financial impact to the township while simultaneously ensuring that our Police Department will continue to serve all people in all areas of our town equally and promptly," said Acropolis.
Kinney had been a candidate to replace former Police Chief Ronald Dougard, who retired last year as chief of police. However, the town ultimately decided to choose Bergquist as the current Brick chief of police.
As one of the safest rated towns in the nation, Acropolis said Bergquist continues to show why he was the right choice to head up the department, and looks forward to unearthing even more cost-savings with the cooperation of the police and all of the municipal departments.
"Our Police Department is well served under his leadership, and our Police Department is the finest in the state of New Jersey," said Acropolis. "Even now we're working together to reduce costs and increase efficiencies in the department, as we have with all departments in Brick Township."
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