Fair Lawn's New Police Chief Has Long History In Town

FAIR LAWN, NJ — The Fair Lawn Police Department announced last week that Joseph J. Dawicki has been sworn as the new police chief.

He's the ninth to hold the job since the department's inception in 1930.

Dawicki is a lifelong resident of the borough, having graduated from Fair Lawn High School in 1996 and from Ramapo College of New Jersey in 2000.

In 2024, Dawicki attended the 289th Session of the FBI National Academy, an honor bestowed upon the top 1 percent of police executives worldwide, the townsaid.

In May of 2025, he graduated from The University of Virginia with a master’s degree in public safety. ]Dawicki has been with the department full time since 2001, the department said. He previously served with the Fair Lawn Auxiliary Police for three years beginning in 1998.

The chief said he's working to “build the next generation of leaders in the Fair Lawn Police Department, and that he's excited to bring 21st century police management theory and practices to the agency.