Formal badge-pinning ceremonies for Newton’s new police chief, lieutenant and the town’s first female detective sergeant were held before Monday’s council meeting.
The meeting also the council reject a proposed donation on Cherry Street. The panel asked Town Manager Thomas S. Russo for more information before making a decision on adjusting fees for construction permits.
The new chief is Newton native Joseph D’Annibale, who attended the Morris County Law Enforcement Academy at the start of 2004 and two years later was hired by Newton as a patrolman. In April 2011, he was reassigned to the detective bureau, serving as liaison to the Newton School District and as a firearms instructor.
Joseph D’Annibale takes the oath of office as Chief of Police on Monday, Feb. 10, from Newton Mayor Helen LeFrois while his daughter, Meadow, holds the Bible. He has been a police officer since 2006.
He was promoted to sergeant in February 2020, supervising a shift of patrol officers. The next year, while on patrol, he spotted a fire in a garage bay at Mavis Tire on Water Street. Grabbing his patrol car’s fire extinguisher, he broke into the building and managed to knock down the blaze until the fire department arrived.
For that action, he was honored by U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5, as a “Hometown Hero.” He also has a Visions Lifesaving Award from Newton Medical Center for his life-saving CPR intervention in a medical emergency.
In June 2022, D’Annibale was promoted to lieutenant, overseeing the Support Services Division, and last fall was appointed acting chief, after Steven VanNieuwland announced he would retire.
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D’Annibale’s promotion was approved last year after a council debate over his salary. He will make $183,780 this year.
Newton lieutenant’s inspiration
The new lieutenant, Dan Finkle, has said he was inspired to serve following the heroic acts of first responders on 9/11. He joined the Newton Volunteer Fire Department the next year. He was a firefighter on the scene of the Able Oil propane explosion in 2003 and remains a member of the department, also serving as director of the Newton Fire Museum on Spring Street.
Finkle joined the police department In 2003 as a public safety telecommunicator, answering 911 calls for 11 municipalities. He was hired as a police officer in 2006, attended the Somerset County Police Academy and was in the Patrol Division for more than 13 years. In 2013, he was awarded the 200 Club of Sussex County Medal of Valor for rescuing a resident trapped in a house fire.
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Since 2008, Finkle has served with Newton’s Office of Emergency Management and now serves as the Emergency Management Coordinator, heading up operations for disasters, ranging from Hurricanes Irene and Sandy and the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2019, he was assigned to the Detective Bureau, and later was promoted to sergeant, first serving as a squad leader then moving to command of the bureau in late 2021. He was key to reinstatement of the School Resource Officer program and the creation of the department’s drone unit and the Sussex County Law Enforcement Drone Association.
In November, he was named acting lieutenant, overseeing the Support Services Division which includes the Detective Bureau, School Resource Officer, 911 center, animal control, computer network security and fleet operations.
Finkle is also a graduate of the West Point Command & Leadership Academy and holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University and expects to earn a master’s degree later this year.
New detective sergeant breaks ground
Sgt. Judy Torres is the first female police officer in the town’s history. She is a native of Ocean County, grew up in the Toms River area and from a young age expressed a strong desire to be a police officer.
After living in Puerto Rico for a time, she returned to New Jersey in 2016. The following year, she graduated from the New Jersey Corrections Officer Academy at Sea Girt, and was assigned to the state’s Edna Mahan Correction Facility.
In 2018, she was hired by Newton’s then-Chief Michael Richards and graduated from the Morris County Police Academy. She went to the Detective Bureau in 2022 and took on the role of school and community liaison detective, coordinating community activities and events such as Coffee with a Cop, Walk to School and lectures at Sussex County Community College for the Criminal Justice class.
In November, Sgt. Torres was appointed as the acting detective sergeant, responsible for supervising two detectives, overseeing criminal investigations, and managing the School Resource Officer program.
Cherry Street property donation debated
The proposed Cherry Street property donation was dropped when there was no motion nor second to move forward with an ordinance accepting the 3.7 acres of undeveloped, wooded property off Cherry Street from a Wayne company.
The ordinance was introduced at the council’s meeting last month and set for a public hearing and possible vote on Monday. Nobody spoke at the hearing and during a discussion, members asked Russo what the town’s intent would be for land.
Russo said there were no plans and the land is adjoined by other town-owned property. Councilman John-Paul Couce asked what would happen if the council refused the donation. Russo said if taxes aren’t paid, the town may take possession of the property through a legal process known as “in rem,” and can either sell the land at public auction or use it for a town purpose.
When Mayor Helen LeFrois then asked for a motion to move forward, none of the four fellow council members spoke and the ordinance died.
The land is assessed at $524,300 and has the formal address of 7 Cherry St. Russo said earlier the town owns lots at 1 and 3 Cherry St. and the property is on a forested hillside.
Construction fees may rise
The council ended its meeting with a short discussion about raising fees for construction permits, such as building, electrical and plumbing.
The town does not have its own building/construction inspector, instead using the fees to help pay for those services from Hardyston through a shared-services agreement. The town is in the midst of a five-year contract with Hardyston.
This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Newton promotes new police chief, first female detective sergeant
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