Richard Calabrese Appointed Cinnaminson Police Chief

CINNAMINSON, NJ - Cinnaminson Township Committee appointed a new police chief during its meeting Monday night at the municipal building.

Richard Calabrese becomes the sixth chief of police in Cinnaminson’s history, according to a post on the Cinnaminson Police Department’s Facebook page.

"This is a very humbling experience for me and the road to achieve this professional goal has been challenging, educational, and enlightening," Calabrese said. "I want to take what I have learned from this experience and build upon the foundation of what makes the Cinnaminson Police Department a shining example of municipal law enforcement."

Calabrese said with him as chief, the police department will focus on transparency, communication and professionalism. This includes building trust and legitimacy with the youth in Cinnaminson.

"This is accomplished by ensuring that there are non-enforcement opportunities for positive interaction between youth and the police," Calabrese said.

He also aims to use technology and social media to make sure the township's residents are more aware and engaged with what is happening in the township.

Calabrese said the police department will build on its community policing initiatives, which he said are already great, by working even more with the residents to help co-produce public safety.

Michael King served as the township’s public safety director from 2011 until last year, when he and the township reached a $156,000 agreement to settle his whistleblower lawsuit. It ended his term as both public safety director and township administrator.

In August, Eric Schubiger was named as the new township administrator. Reinstating the position of police chief was one of the things the committee said it wanted to do following the 2017 elections.

Calabrese has served in law enforcement for 20 years, since January 2000, according to the police department. He began his career with the Camden County Park Police before moving on to the Bridgeton Police Department.

He came to Cinnaminson in October 2004. He spent eight years as a detective before being promoted to sergeant in 2015. He was promoted to lieutenant on Aug. 3, 2017.

Calabrese has served as the Internal Affairs Commander and Computer Forensic Investigator and was named the Department’s Officer-In-Charge on Aug. 22, 2017.

He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Individualized Studies and a Master’s Degree in Administrative Science both from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is a huge advocate of continuing education and is set to attend the New Jersey Certified Public Manager’s Program in April.

The program was developed jointly by Rutgers University and the State of New Jersey's Civil Service Commission to meet the complex demands and challenges of the 21st-century public management environment.

The attached image was posted online by the Cinnaminson Township Police Department.