Longtime Franklin Lakes Officer Takes Over As Police Chief

After a three-month voting process, the Franklin Lakes town council has appointed longtime borough officer Sgt. Carmine Dean Pezzuti as police chief.

Current Police Chief Joseph Seltenrich announced his retirement to the borough on May 9th, and will officially retire August 1 after 38 years with the department.

By July, the council had narrowed candidates for the position to three officers: Detective Lt. John Bakelaar, Sgt. Robert Lyon, and Sgt. Pezzuit. On July 15, the council announced Pezzuti as the new chief.

“There were so many good candidates. I think we would have been fortunate to have any of them as chief,” Mayor Frank Bivona said, according to northjersey.com.

Detective Sgt. Tony Pacelli will also retire on Aug. 1, after 29 years on the Franklin Lakes police force.

Addressing the staff changes, Pezzuti spoke of “transitioning from an older, experienced department to a younger department”.

“My immediate concerns are staffing and providing a command structure for the department,” Pezzuti said.

See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/news/franklin-lakes-police-department-readies-for-new-chief-1.1058002#sthash.fvMjNfuP.dpuf