Police Promotions In Morris Co. Kick Off The New Year

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — Two officers with the Morris County Sheriff's Office have been promoted and will begin the new year in new positions.

Detective Captain Walter Rawa, Jr. and Detective Captain Aaron Tomasini were both promoted by Sheriff James M. Gannon at a promotional ceremony held in the Historic Courtroom at the Morris County Superior Courthouse on Dec. 29.

With their new promotions, Rawa will be in charge of the court services division, while Tomasini will be in charge of the patrol division.

“These new Captains are the best of the best and have earned the trust and respect of their peers,” Gannon said.

Rawa, a law enforcement legacy, was hired by the Morris County Sheriff's Office in 2002 and assigned to the protective services division after graduating from the Morris County Police Academy.

Since then, he has held a variety of positions within the department, including working as an undercover detective, being assigned to the agency's Marine Patrol on Lake Hopatcong, and eventually being assigned to the Emergency Services/K-9 Unit as a detective.

In 2019, Rawa was promoted to Detective Lieutenant, Gannon said.

Outside his main duties, Rawa is also one of the Sheriff's Office's Responsible School Violence Prevention, Preparation, and Protection (RSVP-3) instructors in Morris County.

Rawa was instrumental in developing and training Morris County law enforcement officers on an active shooter response protocol, according to Gannon. He has also attended and received certifications in both local and federal law enforcement response to an active shooter, and he is now a civilian response instructor in the national Run, Hide, Fight model.

Captain Tomasini joined the Morris County Sheriff's Office in 2005, where he was a member of the 66th Basic Police Academy Class.

Tomasini spent the majority of his career with the Emergency Services Unit, where he worked as a K-9 handler, K-9 trainer, bomb technician and tactical operator with the Sheriff's Emergency Response Team (SERT).

Tomasini previously served in Iraq and Afghanistan and is now in his 21st year with the New Jersey Army National Guard.

Gannon began the promotional ceremony by discussing the agency's long history and thanking the families of the newly promoted captains, saying, "Our agency's success is in the hands of the family that supports the officers." He also reminded the new captains to stay focused on the task at hand and made suggestions such as, "challenging your subordinates, treat officers and the public with honesty and respect, take the good from your past supervisors and treat people the way you want to be treated."