WEEHAWKEN —The Weehawken Police Department has begun a major restructuring of both personnel and technology. This was necessitated because Deputy Chief of Operations Jeff Fulcher is set to retire in March, and the department’s less-than-current technological systems were breached by a former sergeant who allegedly stole up to $700,000 in township funds, officials said this week.
In addition, according to Director of Public Safety Jeff Welz, the department has received several mandates from the attorney general to update their administrative technology.
“In this business you can never rest on your laurels,” Mayor Richard Turner said. “If you don’t stay moving forward, you’ll fall behind.”
The personnel restructuring will involve the promotion of pre-existing, qualified members of the Police Department; some of whom were selected specifically for their technological prowess.
“The reorganization of the Police Department is a major step into moving into the modern technology age,” Township Manager James Marchetti said. Marchetti, along with the new Deputy Chief of Administration and former Sergeant Ignacio “Iggy” Mitolo, will use his own technological expertise to oversee and ensure the department receives the proper updates and subsequent training. “Our police department is full of hard-working men and women who are eager to learn, who even before this have kept our crime rates the lowest they’ve been for the last 40 years.”
Former Deputy Chief of Administration William McLellan filled Fulcher’s position on Thursday as Mitolo took over for McLellan. Fulcher will stay on until March to ensure a smooth transition and help to find a replacement for Mitolo in the detective bureau.
Read this weekend’s edition of the Weehawken Reporter for more details. –Gennarose Pope