Caldwell Council Announces Police Promotions

The will have a new lieutenant and two new sergeants come the new year.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, the Caldwell Council announced that Det. Sgt. Anthony Marta will be promoted to the rank of lieutenant and Officers George Henderson and Michael Geary will be promoted to the rank of sergeant. The promotions are effective Jan. 1, 2012.

Marta, who will maintain his status as detective, has served in the department for 21 years. His salary will be $115,366. 

Henderson and Geary have served on the CPD for nine and seven years respectively. The new sergeants salaries will be $103,005.

The openings were the result of announcing his plan to retire after 28 years on the force, and, in late November, Lt. James Bongiorno being named as Dombrowski’s successor. Bongiorno is serving as Officer in Charge until Dombrowki’s retirement becomes official on Dec. 31.

A second sergeant position opened up with the recent retirement of Sgt. Robert Fortunato. Fortunato retired on Dec. 1 after serving 25 years on the CPD.

Nearly every member of the department interviewed before the mayor and council for the open positions.

Council President and Public Safety Committee Chair Peter Murray said the interview process was his most rewarding experience to date on the council.

Murray said he found the officers to be “intelligent” with “a great sense of community and a desire to move the town forward.”

“Their mantra is they want to be the department other departments aspire to be,” he said.

Bongiorno’s recommendations carried a lot of weight in the final decisions, according to Murray.

Bongiorno said Tuesday he was proud of the applicants and that they all “brought something to the table.” He said Henderson and Geary are well-suited to serve as sergeants because they are both D.A.R.E. officers and have solid foundations within schools and the community. He said they are also “excellent communicators.”

The CPD is in the process of narrowing down applicants for two open officer positions.

“We are a very community-oriented agency, so we need that kind of mindset,” Bongiorno said Tuesday when asked what he is looking for in the new hires.

Over 70 applications came in for the officer positions. The goal is to present the top five candidates to the mayor and council and complete the hiring process by mid-January.

Councilman Murray said after the meeting Tuesday it is possible a third officer may be hired to serve as a second detective and community officer.