Supporters Pack Borough Hall for Police Promotions

Three Fair Lawn police officers with 60 years of service between them were promoted Tuesday in front of a packed house of family, friends, current and former officers, emergency service volunteers and military veterans.

Bob Kneer, James Corcoran and Timothy O'Shaughnessy, flanked by their families, were each sworn in to their new titles by Mayor John Cosgrove.

Kneer, a United States Marine Corps veteran who will have 40 years on the force come July, was promoted to Captain, where he'll be in charge of the operations division of the department.

"It's overwhelming," Kneer said of the event's turnout. "I'm almost speechless."

The newly minted captain said in his new role he plans to keep open the lines of communication with officers and give back to the community.

As part of his community outreach efforts, Kneer said he'd be helping launch a new program — Police and Children Together in Schools (PACTS) — which should start in the next few weeks. Its aim, Kneer said, is to bring officers into Fair Lawn schools and "do everything humanly possible to make sure our children are safe."

"We have the support of the schools, [Superintendent] Bruce Watson, every teacher, and when it kicks off I guarantee it’s going to be just like the DARE program," said Kneer, who expects the PACTS program to go nationwide.

Corcoran, an Army vet and former narcotics detective who has served as a patrol sergeant for the past four years, was promoted to Lieutenant.

During his 13 years with the department, Corcoran has worked with the Bergen and Passaic County Narcotics Task Force Units, the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, United States Postal Service, Office of Homeland Security and U.S Customs.

"The lieutenant’s files contain numerous letters noting his excellent service," borough manager Tom Metzler said in a prepared statement about Corcoran. "An example of which is the fact that along with service as a patrol supervisor, in 2012, he led the department in the number of DWI arrests."

O'Shaughnessy, a lifelong Fair Lawn resident who joined the force in 2005 and had most recently been working narcotics in the detective bureau, was promoted to Sergeant.

He said he was excited about the promotion and looked forward to getting back into patrol.

Capt. Glen Cauwels, who will be making an appointment to fill O'Shaughnessy's spot in the detective bureau, said he had received 10 applications for the position but had yet to select a replacement for O'Shaughnessy.

Chief Erik Rose, who is retiring at the end of the year, congratulated all the newly promoted officers and said he expected all of them to perform well in their new roles.

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