Crime & Safety
Three Fair Lawn Police Officers Earn Promotions
Three Fair Lawn police officers will be formally promoted at the March 19 council meeting.
The recent retirements of the Fair Lawn Police Department's two highest ranking officers have opened the door for seven promotions within the department.
Borough manager Tom Metzler announced three of those promotions Friday.
Lt. Robert Kneer, Sgt. James Corcoran and Detective Timothy O'Shaughnessy will each be formally promoted at the March 19 council meeting, Metzler said.
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Kneer, the longest serving officer in the department, will be promoted to Captain.
A United States Marine veteran who joined the force in 1973, Kneer has been a lieutenant in the patrol division since 2003.
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"Lt. Kneer has been an integral part of the police department for 40 years," Policemen's Benevolent Association president Michael O'Brien said. "He's a passionate and caring leader for both the officers and the community. He's shown that through his involvement with various programs and the way he conducts business with the community."
Corcoran, an Army vet who served two years with the 82nd Airborne Division before joining the force in 2000, will be promoted to Lieutenant.
During his 13 years with the department, Corcoran has made a name for himself as a narcotics expert. While serving in the detective bureau, Corcoran worked with both the Bergen and Passaic County Narcotics Task Force Units. He's also worked closely with the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, United States Postal Service, Office of Homeland Security and U.S Customs.
O'Shaughnessy, who joined the force in 2005, is also a narcotics expert. He's currently a member of the department's detective bureau.
O'Brien called O'Shaughnessy an "excellent police officer," and "a level-headed professional," who was well-deserving of the promotion.
Earlier this year, O'Shaughnessy's brother Christopher, a Navy veteran, was sworn in as a Fair Lawn police recruit. He's currently attending the Bergen County Police Academy and should join the department full time in October.
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