Police 'Reunion' Marks Department's 40th Anniversary

On March 1, 1973, Warren Township Chief of Police Leonard Visotski sent a teletype message to the New Jersey State Police headquarters that read, “Thank you for your past services. You’re no longer needed.” 

With that, the Warren Township Police Department took over the responsibility of protecting and serving residents of the township, first with a bare handful of officers, then growing with the township to today’s 30-officer department.

The township celebrated the department’s 40th anniversary at the April 25 Township Committee meeting with former department members on hand, as well as former chiefs Visotski and William Stahl.

Visotski spoke to the audience about the challenges of launching the department, noting the importance of the department’s first officers in setting the direction the department would follow.

“One of the last I hired, an 18-year old kid, turned out to be one of the best I had,” Visotski said, of his decision to hire local teen Russell Leffert.

One other official on hand brought something to help mark the occasion: Capt. Harry DelGado, of the New Jersey Chiefs of Police Association, presented a framed copy of the department’s accreditation by the association, one of the few departments in the state to boast having completed the requirements for the distinction.

Leffert said the accreditation process had taken several years to complete, after Capt. Arthur Ceccato started it. Sgt. Matt Saum took over the project, and competed the process.

The anniversary proclamation and accreditation announcement were made with a number of former members of the department in hand in addition to those already cited, including Special Ofc. Cyril Taylor, Ofc. Richard Weinschenk, Cpl. Richard Ayres, Det. James Hurley, Lt. Russell Kingsland, Capt. Douglas VanWinkle, DSG. James McAleer and Records Specialist Marilyn Methfessel.