Command Change: Brick To Swear In New Chief

BRICK, NJ -- A change in command will be completed Tuesday evening when James Riccio takes the oath to become Brick Township’s next chief of police.

Riccio, who was named last month as the successor to Chief Nils R. ”Rick” Bergquist, will be sworn in during the Township Council meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at Brick’s Civic Plaza, 270 Chambersbridge Road, just east of Brick Township High School.

The meeting is at Civic Plaza to accommodate a larger audience.

Riccio, who was hired by the township in 1986, has worked for the department in a number of capacities, according to a news release from the township.

He was a member of the township’s Special Enforcement Team and was assigned to the Ocean County Narcotics Strike Force, and Riccio has worked with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and the FBI, Mayor John Ducey said.

Riccio supervised the Drug Enforcement Unit and served on the Internal Affairs Unit as well, Ducey said.

As deputy chief, Riccio handled budget preparation, administration, planning, developing and implementing department policies and procedures, as well as project development.

Riccio also has spent more than 30 years as a volunteer with the Breton Woods Fire Company and is a District 1 fire commissioner.

Capt. Robert Mazza, a 27-year member of the Brick police department, has accepted the position of deputy chief, Ducey said. Mazza has served as a shift commander, a patrol supervisor, and is currently commander of the investigations division as well as the Special Enforcement Response Team.