Wilhelm, Naprstek promoted to sergeant

Before a grateful and proud crowd of family members and colleagues, two River Edge police officers were sworn in as newly promoted sergeants in early October. Both officers had previously been serving as acting sergeants during the past year-and-a-half. Promoted to sergeant were Curt Wilhelm, who will serve as the detective sergeant, and Robert Naprstek, who will lead a squad in the patrol division.

"This has been over a yearlong process," Mayor Margaret Watkins said. "We had wonderful men apply, 11 patrolmen in total. We have a really excellent police force and two extraordinary sergeants to join those on the force. And I would like to thank their wives and families in supporting them in this. Anytime you have a member in public service, especially in the police, fire or ambulance, there is always a challenge that they won't be there for dinner or a child's performance or game. But they are doing a service and I thank their families for being so kind and supportive. Our community is very blessed."

But getting to the point of promotion was a long process. In September 2009, the River Edge Police Department held testing and psychological evaluations for the officers that applied for the promotion. The testing and evaluations, which cost the borough $15,000 were good for a year. Each of the 11 officers that applied also spent time in a rotation period as an acting-sergeant overseeing either the detective bureau or a patrol division. During the summer, the council interviewed each of the candidates.

"This is a proud night for me," Chief Tom Cariddi said. "When Curt joined, he served as a dispatcher initially, then was appointed as a patrol officer in 1992. He is our bloodhound, the guy who is always on, antennas up, whether he is the first going through a door on a warrant or he's taking time to exercise compassion and care necessary to handle a family crisis."

As the detective sergeant, Wilhelm is in charge of the special investigations. Special investigations in the police department include those that may involve juveniles, or Megan's Law registries. He will report directly to Lt. Michael Walker, who previously served as the detective sergeant.

The detective sergeant receives specialized training to handle juvenile cases, whether they may include a sexual assault or making sure that the juvenile's rights have not been violated. Wilhelm will also be in charge of the REPD's case files for any registered Megan's Law offenders that live in the borough. The files, which include the offender's tier ranking, basic information and how often they are required to check in with police, are kept in a locked drawer.

Naprstek, who will lead one of the patrol divisions, received an added benefit while being sworn in as sergeant. His shield, showing off his new rank, belonged to his father during his time on the River Edge police force.

"The shield Robert is wearing is different because it was his father's shield" Cariddi said. "There has been a Naprstek in the River Edge Police Department for over 80 years. His grandfather Charles joined in 1931, made sergeant in 1937, and chief in 1939 where he served until 1965. His father joined in 1963 and made sergeant in 1972, while his uncle joined in 1964 and served for 30 years until he retired in 1994."

The younger Naprstek began his career in police enforcement with the Montvale Police Department before transferring to the River Edge department in 1988. As a patrol sergeant, Naprstek is in charge of a squad of patrol officers during their shifts, coordinating traffic details, and will work with the other patrol sergeants in coordinating the D.A.R.E. programs at Cherry Hill and Roosevelt elementary schools. Naprstek joins Patrol Sgt.'s Robert Daly, William Haggis and Mark Westervelt. Each patrol sergeant report to Lt. Richard Curran.

 "I've known both Rob and Curt for a long time," Councilman Tom Smith said. "I know Curt from when he started as a dispatcher and Rob as a young child when his father and uncle were members of the fire department as well. These men come from a family of volunteerism along with serving on the police force."

With the promotions of Sgt. Wilhelm and Naprstek, the River Edge Police table of organization for sergeant positions is complete. To function, the department's table of organization calls for five sergeants, four to lead the patrol division and one to lead the detective bureau.