UPDATE: Manchester Mayor Grateful Chief Delayed Retirement

UPDATE, 10:30 a.m.: Manchester Mayor Kenneth T. Palmer says he is grateful for the extra time Police Chief Brian Klimakowski has put in serving the town and assisting in his transition.

Klimakowski had originally put in his retirement paperwork for the end of November, Palmer said Friday morning, ”but when I got elected, I asked him to stay on to help with the transition.”

“He’s been planning this for a while,” Palmer said. “I wish he could stay longer.”

Palmer said he will be recommending Capt. Lisa Parker for the position of police chief at the next Township Council meeting on Monday, Feb. 23.

“She is equally as professional and efficient and she’ll do a great job,” Palmer said. “She carries the respect of the other officers in the department as well.”

As for the position of township business administrator, which Klimakowski has held since April 2014, Palmer said, “We’re working on that.” By law, Klimakowski could not continue in the position after he retires as chief for a minimum of 180 days.

“With his skill set and experience he’s going to be a highly sought-after professional,” Palmer said. “I can’t thank him enough for what he’s done for Manchester.”

PREVIOUSLY:

Manchester Township Police Chief Brian Klimakowski announced Thursday evening he will be retiring from his law enforcement post effective March 1.

The reasons for his retirement, which comes less than two months after Manchester Mayor Kenneth T. Palmer took office, were not given. Messages left for Palmer Thursday night were not immediately returned.

Klimakowski, who became police chief in 2011, also has been serving as the township’s acting business administrator since April 2014, when former Business Administrator Elena Zsoldos was suspended and later fired in the wake of being arrested on cocaine possession charges in Asbury Park while driving a township vehicle.

How Klimakowski’s retirement impacts that position was not clear in the statement the chief released announcing his retirement. It noted his service in the position, saying: “Following his retirement from the Manchester Township Police, Chief Klimakowski looks to continue serving the public in some capacity.”

The statement said Klimakowski has “always prided himself on his accessibility to members of the community, listening to all comments and concerns. His leadership follows a ‘citizen first’ mind-set, which he has endowed to each officer within the Manchester Township Police. Further, his extensive experience in directing all aspects of law enforcement and emergency service operations kept Manchester well prepared for weather emergencies like Hurricane Sandy and many winter storms.”

Klimakowski, a 1986 graduate of Manchester Township High School, joined the department in 1987 as a dispatcher and became a patrolman the following year. He worked his way up through the ranks, earning promotions to sergeant in 2000, lieutenant in 2002 and captain in 2007, before becoming just the fifth chief in the department’s 50-year history.

Working with township officials, Chief Klimakowski focused his tenure on bolstering the Police Division’s staffing back to an adequate level. Under his watch, the Police Division voluntarily met all of the standards required by the NJSACOP Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission, bringing prestige and significant professional achievement to Manchester Township.

While serving as chief in Manchester, he has been actively involved in the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police and is a highly decorated public official, the release stated.

“It truly has been an honor to serve Manchester Township and dedicate the entirety of my law enforcement career to my hometown,” Klimakowski said in the news release. “I’ll always be grateful for having had the privilege of working among the finest police personnel in the state.”