Lacey's New Police Chief Will Be Named At July 14 Township Committee Meeting

by Patricia A. Miller

Lacey Township residents will know in a little over two weeks who their next police chief will be, Township Administrator Veronica A. Laureigh said.

But she's not naming names. The new chief will be named at the July 14 Township Committee meeting. He or she will replace current Chief David A. Paprota, who announced during the spring that he planned to retire on Aug. 1.

There will also be a few more promotions at that meeting, Laureigh said.

Paprota announced his plans to retire back in April.

"I am confident that with continuing community support moving forward, the police department and Lacey Township will progress to all new heights," Paprota said in a statement then.

Paprota was sworn in on December 1, 2012. and previously served as the township's Emergency Management Coordinator. He stepped down from that position on June 1 to give him more time to work with his successor.

"With the tremendous support and engagement of the community the police department has experienced, we as a township have seen the crime rate drop significantly," he has said.

Residential and commercial burglaries fell significantly from a high of 119 in 2012, to a low of 43 in 2015. Thefts have dropped from a high of 684 in 2012 to a low of 334 in 2015.

"The drop in crime is attributable to numerous factors, with no single factor being responsible," the chief said. "The officers of the Lacey Township Police Department have engaged in an "All in" approach throughout both the uniformed patrol division and the detectives. The primary focus has been on drug interdiction and individual accountability."

Lacey police have also increased the number of arrests made in a year since 2013. There have been over 900 arrests in 2015, Paprota said.

"This is up from the norms of the years prior to 2013, when arrests tended to be below 300 per year," he said. "The increase in arrests is directly attributable to a philosophy of accountability based on the premise that if someone enters Lacey Township and commits a crime, they will be arrested and charged."

Lacey is "well ahead" of others to first recognize the heroin epidemic, the chief said."Lacey Township has one of the youngest demographic makeups of the municipalities in Ocean County," the chief said then. "Being a "young" town and squarely fitting in the demographic of concern for heroin abuse, Lacey Township has faced the same challenges as the rest of the nation."

He will remain involved in the Lacey Municipal Police Foundation and youth events after he retires, Paprota said.

Photo credit: Lacey Township Police Department