Mendham Twp. 'Changed for the Better,' Retiring Cop Says

He may have worked the Mendham Township beat for more than 25 years, but Vito Abrusci never considered it “a job.’

The department’s lieutenant reached his 25-year mark in July and called it a career on Thursday, Aug. 29. With him goes a quarter-century of experience and a mentor to many of the department’s current personnel.

“It certainly isn’t an office job, and nothing was ever routine,” Abrusci said about being a police officer. “[Police officers] miss birthdays, family events, all to be there for others and keep a community safe. It’s difficult, but it’s what we do.”

Abrusci, who began his career in the township as an officer in 1988, was promoted to Sergeant in 2001. His final step up to lieutenant came in 2011.

“I was never a guy who said ‘when I get to 25 years I’m getting out,’” Abrusci said about his retirement. “But at some point you have to begin exploring the opportunities in your future and make a decision.”

Having been in the township for so long, Abrusci recalled seeing the town change for the better. Some of the faces have changed, he said, but many of the “old-timers” are still local and the town continues to prosper.

“I was here when the first township administrator was hired,” Abrusci said. “Changes here have been for the better, and the officials do what they can to keep that home town feel.”

Continuing on the tradition of community-involved policing is a department Abrusci says he’s proud to have been a part of.

“The majority of guys here, I’ve trained,” Abrusci said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the officers that work here – they’ve made my job better. They all aspire to have the same integrity I would seek.”

"From the start of my career, (Vito) has always been a tremendous mentor to me," said Sgt. Ross Johnson, who now takes over one of Abrusci's many duties as public information officer.

"He is the type of officer that truly cared not only about this agency but the overall community, and it was evident in everything he did during his career," Johnson continued. "On top of that he is just a great guy and a genuine friend." 

Letting go of the job, however, won’t be as easy as putting a badge down, Abrusci said.

“It’s going to be hard for me to ‘un-cop,’” he said. “Integrity is part of me. I’m going to miss seeing residents at the Wicker Basket getting coffee and talking to people I’ve known for so long.”

With that admission Abrusci said retirement has taught him he has a much softer side then he realized.

The man who says he’s spent the past 25 years wearing a multitude of occupational hats, and has seen everything from birth to death on the job, now has to embark on a much quieter, less hectic journey.

First up in the age of retirement is a vacation with his wife to celebrate retirement and their wedding anniversary, Abrusci said.

After that it will be a day-by-day process.

“And time to tackle a long-overdue housework list,” Abrusci said.

As the saying goes, a man in motion stays in motion.