Prosecutor Takes Over Pine Beach Police Department

PINE BEACH, NJ — The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office has taken over command of the Pine Beach Police Department because the department has been without a chief since December.

Chief Keith Brown retired Dec. 31, the prosecutor's office said, and his departure left the department "without the appropriate level of leadership and supervision necessary to properly serve the residents of Pine Beach," the prosecutor's office said Friday.

"It is imperative that we ensure the continuity of operations of the department to effectively maintain the safety and security of the borough’s residents," Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

Casey M. Long, chief of detectives for the prosecutor's office, has been appointed as the officer in charge, Billhimer said.

The day-to-day operations will be supervised by Lt. John Carroll of the prosecutor's office, along with other senior members of the prosecutor's office, Billhimer said.

Pine Beach has a lieutenant, a sergeant and two police officers plus a detective and at least one Class II special officer, according to Police App, a website hosting law enforcement job postings around the country.

Brown had been out since at least September. Minutes from the Sept. 10 Pine Beach Borough Council meeting show the council confirmed the appointment of an officer-in-charge for the department, though it did not name the officer.

Billhimer said Acting Lt. Ryan Morris has been the officer in charge since Brown's retirement.

A borough resident asked why Brown was out and Mayor Lawrence Cuneo said he was on leave, with no further explanation, according to the minutes.

Brown had served as chief since November 2021 and had more than 20 years of service in the department. His retirement was not mentioned in meeting minutes for the remainder of 2025, nor was it mentioned on either the department's Facebook page or the borough's Facebook page.

In June 2025, a letter signed simply "Pine Beach Police Department" was published on the department's Facebook page, urging the town's residents to get involved and press the borough to hire two additional police officers.

"Time and time again our requests to the Council are denied. ... This is not a want, this is a need," the letter said. It went on to say the lieutenant was working patrol shifts alone to assist his subordinate officers in covering the town seven days a week around the clock.

"This is not a normal practice," the letter said.

It was not clear who had posted the letter, and it was removed from the page a couple of days later.

Billhimer, in his statement, said:

"We support the hard-working Officers of the Pine Beach Police Department and commend Acting Lt. Ryan Morris for his dedicated efforts as Officer-in-Charge since Chief Brown’s retirement. We are committed to working with Acting Lt. Morris and the entire police department to ensure public safety for the rest of the summer season and beyond."

"In addition to appointing Chief Long as Officer-in-Charge, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the department's operations while implementing appropriate levels of supervision, management, and accountability," Billhimer said. "We will work collaboratively with the Borough to develop a workable command structure and update departmental policies and procedures."

Pine Beach officials issued a statement about the takeover as well, saying, "The Pine Beach Police Department and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office are working together to help our citizens by providing aid. The Prosecutor’s Office will be leading our department to help improve leadership, supervision, and safety for our dedicated staff and citizens."

"The experience and resources provided by the Prosecutor's Office will allow our officers in becoming better stewards of the community. The safety and security of our residents and officers is our primary concern. This partnership will strengthen our police department," the statement said.

It's not the first time the prosecutor's office has taken over a police department while its leadership was in flux. In 2022, the prosecutor's office took over control of the Lavallette Police Department in the wake of the departure of its chief, Colin Grant.

In that case, the prosecutor's office already was operating within the Lavallette department; its Professional Standards Unit had taken over the Lavallette Police Department's Internal Affairs as of Dec. 16, 2021, "after an audit of the department’s records," Billhimer said. He did not give details of the audit or what prompted it, and the results of that situation were never released.

Control of the Lavallette department was turned over to Chief Christian LaCicero in March 2023.