Retired Cranford Chief To Be Named As Grand Marshal At 125th Anniversary Parade

CRANFORD, NJ — The Cranford Police Department will celebrate 125 years of service with an Anniversary Parade where retired Chief of Police Harry Wilde will be named as the Grand Marshal.

The parade is scheduled to take place on Sunday, Oct. 23 at 12:30 p.m. According the the police department, Wilde was "a transformational leader" who served the residents of Cranford from 1963 until his retirement in 2003.

Wilde served in the United States Coast Guard from 1959-1963 and later joined the Cranford Police Department in 1963.

Over the course of his 40-year career, he served as an adjunct faculty member at Union College, served on the Union College Board of Directors, served as Executive Officer of the Union County Narcotics Strike Force and was a past recipient of the Martin Luther King Award. Wilde was also directly responsible for developing the West Point Command and Leadership Academy in 1993 — a 6-month course attended by many law enforcement professionals throughout the State of New Jersey.

The 125th Anniversary Parade will consist of emergency vehicles and specialized equipment from local, county, state and federal Agencies.

The parade route starts at Union County College and travels southbound on Springfield Avenue toward downtown Cranford. The parade will then turn right onto North Union Avenue, cross North Avenue, and turn left into the Walnut Avenue entrance to the Train Station parking lot (Municipal Lot # 4).

A portion of the parade route from Springfield Avenue to Penn Road has been designated as a "sensory-friendly zone" with no sirens or horns being used by the participating agencies.

“The community is an integral part of our organization’s history and support, and we look forward to celebrating our agency's milestone with our residents at this final community event,” Chief Ryan Greco said.

Questions about this parade may be directed to Sgt. Russell Luedecker of the Cranford Police Traffic Bureau or Sgt. Joseph Stulpin of the Cranford Police Patrol Division.