New Englewood Police, Fire Chiefs Sworn In

ENGLEWOOD, NJ — Starting their careers as dispatchers and rising through the ranks, a newly appointed Englewood police and fire chief were sworn in Thursday by Mayor Michael Wildes, who said the two were "exceedingly qualified."

"This is a special day for the city of Englewood," Wildes said at the swearing in. "What a treat for me as a mayor to be able to swear both of you in."

Police Chief Tom Greeley and Fire Chief Jeff Kaplan, who were former deputy chiefs of their individual departments, swore to "faithfully, impartially and justly" perform all the duties of their positions to the best of their ability.

"Both of you have risen to this level because of your achievement and the love and support of the rank and file (within the departments)," Wildes said.

Kaplan said that, as Chief, he would work to increase manpower and provide more apparatus to "rebuild the fleet" at the department.

"I am looking forward to continuing my work on making sure that the firefighters have the best training and equipment possible," Kaplan said in a statement.

Englewood's city council approved the appointment of Greeley and Kaplan during Wednesday's regular meeting. 4th Ward Councilman Wayne Hamer voted no, and Councilman-At-Large Charles Cobb was absent.

"(Greeley and Kaplan) are Englewood's finest and Englewood's bravest, and we should be proud to make them our chiefs tonight," Councilman Michael Cohen said at the meeting. "This should not be a controversial moment; this should be a proud moment."

Both chiefs, appointed at the recommendation of interim City Manager Matthew Watkins, swore to "bear true faith and allegiance" to the Constitution and to the governments in the U.S. and the state of New Jersey.

"I am thrilled to support the appointment of Police Chief Thomas Greeley and Fire Chief Jeff Kaplan. They have a long history of dedication and service to the residents of Englewood," City Council President Ken Rosenzweig told Patch in a statement. "I wish them much success in their new roles."

Greeley, whose father was a detective lieutenant, is filling a position that has been vacant since April 2021, and Kaplan, who is the first Jewish Chief of Englewood's Fire Department, is filling a role that has been vacant since April this year. Both roles were left vacant when the previous chiefs retired.

"We wish you godspeed," Wildes said to the newly sworn-in chiefs, adding that Englewood will remain safe under their leadership.