Secaucus Police Officer Jude Masullo Named Officer Of The Year

SECAUCUS, NJ — On Tuesday night, veteran Secaucus Police Officer Jude Masullo was named 2023 Officer of the Year.

Masullo is a 12-year veteran of the Secaucus Police Department and is currently assigned to the midnight tour. He is the second-most senior patrolman on the night tour and serves as a leader and mentor to the other officers he works with.

Officer Masullo has led the night tour in self-initiated activity and his efforts have no doubt prevented several criminal incidents from occurring within Secaucus, said Police Chief Dennis Miller.

"Masullo deserves to be recognized," said Miller. "He always responds, every night to something happening. Whether it's checking into the Dunkin' Donuts to remind people to lock their cars or responding to a crime, he responds to calls from the community every single night of his shift."

Masullo is innovative and self-motivated: Last April, as there was an influx of car thefts in town, he took it upon himself to stand outside the Dunkin' Donuts at the center of town overnight and reminded patrons not to leave their car running as they went inside.

This was especially important as this was during the overnight hours. That Dunkin' Donuts is open 24/7.

He also responded to much bigger incidents, such as when there was an active shooter at American Dream last April. That night, Masullo voluntarily showed up for work several hours before his shift because he wanted to help East Rutherford Police respond to the incident that sent the mall into lockdown.

Also multiple times last year when there was heavy rain in Secaucus, Masullo on his own volition did safety checks of parts of town that usually flood. He took it on himself to put out cones and close certain roads to protect drivers. Fellow officers particularly recall seeing Masullo on April 19 completely soaked head to toe outside placing cones and warning drivers, and then removing the cones when flooding subsided.

"He did this without any direction and completed his tour without a complaint."

He has also taken part in Junior Police Academy, National Night Out and a Bicycle Safety Course for Secaucus kids.

Miller said Masullo truly embodies the Secaucus Police Department's goals to become more proactive and more engaged with town residents.

"Officer Masullo excels at many aspects of his job and truly exemplifies what a police officer should be," said the police chief. "Masullo brings this energy and professionalism every single day and by doing so, bolsters other officers that he works with. He is reliable, professional, trustworthy, hardworking and I believe to be a pillar within this agency. He instantly improves whichever squad he is working on at the time."