Fairfield Police Department Appoints Four New Officers – TAPinto.net
FAIRFIELD, NJ — Four new police officers—probationary officers David DeCarlo, Daniel Kalinowski and Sean Wilk and class III special officer Joseph Prinzo—were officially sworn into the Fairfield Police Department on Wednesday night at the township’s 2019 reorganization meeting.
Fairfield Police Chief Anthony Manna thanked the governing body for its support and “for being proactive in how you treat the police department and the needs of the community.” Adding that he recently attended the ninth swearing-in ceremony of Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura, Manna quoted Fontoura’s remark that “without public safety, your community is really nothing.”
Manna introduced each of the officers individually, adding that after an extensive interview process, the department felt these four men were “the cream of the crop of those we interviewed.”
Officer DeCarlo was raised in Middlesex County and is a 2018 graduate of Rutgers University, where he majored in both criminal justice and sociology. He is currently an active member of the Air National Guard, which he joined in 2014.
As a graduate of the Cape May County Police Academy Special Law Enforcement Officer (SLEO) II Police Class, DeCarlo ranked 10th out of 95 recruits. Most recently, DeCarlo served as a class II special police officer with the Sea Isle City Police Department.
After being sworn in by Fairfield Mayor James Gasparini, DeCarlo said that he has felt a great sense of welcome since the beginning and that he is excited to be involved in the community of Fairfield.
“I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to work for Fairfield Township,” said DeCarlo as he thanked all of his supporters.
Officer Kalinowski, a Caldwell native, is a 2018 graduate of Passaic County Police Academy Class 18-09 SP-II, where he earned the marksmanship award designating him as the top shooter in his graduating class. He has been serving the citizens of Fairfield as a class II special officer since September, and served in the United States Marine Corps from 2011-2015.
Expressing his gratitude for the opportunity to work in Fairfield, Kalinowski said he has enjoyed working in the community for the last few and is looking forward to spending the rest of his career in the township. He thanked his, including his family, for supporting him and the governing body for their decision to hire him. He said,
“It’s an honor to stand here,” he said as he thanked his family and the community for their support as well as the governing body and police department for their decision to hire him.
Officer Wilk was raised in Warren County and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from Sacred Heart University in 2012. He was initially appointed to the Glen Ridge Police Department and graduated from the Essex County Police Academy in 2014. While serving as a Glen Ridge police officer, Wilk was commended as the 2015 Officer of the Year and received an honorable service award, unit citation and lifesaving award.
“I am excited to start a new chapter in my life,” said Wilk, who added that he is grateful to the mayor, council and Manna for this opportunity.
Officer Prinzo, who was sworn in as a class III special officer, was raised in Lyndhurst and graduated from the Bergen County Police Academy in 1993. According to Manna, he served “a distinguished career” with the North Arlington Police Department, obtaining the rank of sergeant. He retired from North Arlington and most recently served as a SLEO III officer with the East Hanover Police Department.
“[Prinzo] has extensive law enforcement experience dealing with children, as he has served as the supervisor in charge of Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) and Law Enforcement Against Drugs (L.E.A.D.) programs as a juvenile and school resource officer,” said Manna.
Stating that this is a “great opportunity,” Prinzo thanked Manna and the governing body “for the opportunity to finally come home and serve the community I live in.”
Return to TAPinto West Essex for more coverage of the 2019 Fairfield Township Reorganization Meeting.