Holmdel Police Department Names 2021 Officer Of The Year

HOLMDEL, NJ - The Holmdel Township Police Department recently named the department’s Officer of the Year. The annual award is given to one officer in recognition of their work performance, professionalism and dedication to duty.

Patrolman James Herlihy was recognized as Officer of the Year on Jan. 14, 2021.

In 2019, Officer Herlihy had two high quality arrests worthy of note. Following one of his arrests involving controlled substances and and an intoxicated driver, Officer Herlihy received a letter of commendation from the Keansburg Police Department as his suspect was also wanted for an arson investigation in that community, according to a news release.

In a second arrest, Ptl. Herlihy conducted a traffic stop on suspicion of controlled dangerous substances which led to a more extensive investigation involving victims of fraud across many states. The suspect, who was in the car during the traffic stop, was later indicted.

In 2019, Ptl. Herlihy also led the department in number of DWI arrests and served as the department’s nominee for the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Award.

During his tenure, Ptl. Herlihy was also the first officer on scene of a structural fire in town. Using a fire extinguisher, the officer was able to suppress the fire enough to prevent it from spreading to the rest of the building.

Ptl. Herlihy joined the Holmdel Township Police Department in 2015. He hails from a long line of law enforcement professionals including his father and uncle, who served in command positions in the New York Police Department. His half-brother and four of his cousins are all active police officers in New York.

In addition to his work as a patrolman, Herlihy serves as the Firearms Instructor for the police department as well as a Field Training Officer and a background investigator.