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Tenafly swears in two probationary police officers as recruitment continues
Summary
The Borough of Tenafly swore in two probationary officers Dec. 17, citing competitive academy performance and immediate field training assignments; the mayor said three additional recruits will enter the academy in January.
Chief Chamberlain introduced and administered the oath to two probationary officers at the Dec. 17 Mayor and Council meeting, saying both "scored the highest in all the categories" used in the department's hiring process and will begin field training after their academy graduations.
Officer Patrick Gray, called by name during the ceremony, was described as a former full-time dispatcher for the Saddle River Police Department and a recruit scheduled to graduate from the Bergen County Police Academy in early January. Chief Chamberlain said Gray served as executive officer of his recruit class and will undertake a three-month field training assignment before patrol duty.
The second officer, introduced as Justin (transcript name variant: Kolschar), was noted for a background in private investigation and for having already graduated from his academy. Chief Chamberlain highlighted the officer's win in an emergency vehicle operations course competition and said he has been assigned to the department's field training program.
Family members were invited forward during each oath: Mary Anne and Bill were asked to participate in the badge-pinning for Officer Gray; Justin's brother Chris and mother Karen joined for his ceremony. The formal oath was administered on the dais with the officers repeating the pledge to "support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey" and to "justly perform all the duties of the office of probationary police officer for the borough of Tenafly."
Mayor's remarks following the ceremony thanked the new officers for choosing Tenafly and noted an active recruitment effort: "we're doing a lot of recruiting, and you've got 3 new recruits right behind you coming on board," the mayor said. Chief Chamberlain said the two swearing-in events were part of a broader restructuring and rebuilding process in the department following unexpected departures.
The council meeting continued with other business; the officers' oaths and badge-pinning concluded the ceremonial portion of the agenda.
