Vanderstreet Sworn in as Chief of Police

In a packed council chamber Monday night, Richard Vanderstreet was sworn in as Chief of the Cedar Grove Police Department.

Mayor Robert O'Toole administered the oath to Vanderstreet, who placed his hand on a Bible held by his wife, Debora. The ceremony was also witnessed by his parents and the couple's children.

With the reading complete, the audience erupted with applause, and O'Toole congratulated the new chief on his promotion, calling it "a position well deserved."

In his remarks to the council and assembled crowd, which included a sea of blue uniforms belonging to his fellow officers, Vanderstreet thanked his friends, family and colleagues for their support.

"This is a shared moment. I'm thankful to be part of this organization."

Township Manager Thomas Tucci praised the new chief as a dedicated public servant who cares deeply about the township.

"Your love of Cedar Grove is second to none. You love this community and to you it always comes first."

Noting the large crowd, Tucci said the 29-year department veteran possesses two "intangible" qualities that make him an ideal leader: leadership and loyalty.

"Those are most important in any organization. And that's why all these officers are standing behind you, because you have leadership and you have their loyalty, otherwise they wouldn't be here today."

Vanderstreet started at the Cedar Grove Police Department as a patrolman in 1982, following a three-year stint in the City of East Orange. In 1992, Vanderstreet was promoted to sergeant, where he spent six years before achieving the rank of captain in 1998.

The department had been without a chief since July when Jeffrey Rowe announced he was leaving after 12 years as chief. In his absence, Vanderstreet assumed leadership duties of the department as captain, and expressed interest in the job after briefly considering retirement.

Tucci was given authority over the department by ordinance last October, when in the absence of a chief, the council voted to establish the position of Director of Police for the first time in the township's history. As Director of Police, the decision to name Rowe's successor fell to him.

At the time, Tucci said budgetary constraints were the lone obstacle preventing him from naming Vanderstreet to the department's top job.

Last month, the council passed an ordinance re-establishing the rank of chief in the department, paving the way for Tucci to appoint Vanderstreet to the job, which Tucci had hinted for months was his plan.

The police department had faced difficulties leading up to Rowe's departure. Last May, three officers were laid off in an attempt to close a $600,000 budget gap. However, the officers were reinstated in October, when the township was granted a waiver by the local finance board after it undertook a cost-saving restructuring of the department, ultimately reducing the number of officers in the department from 32 to 29.

In an interview Monday, Vanderstreet said with four generations police officers and firefighters behind him, he knew at a very early age he wanted to continue the family trade.

"Public service was always in the back of your mind when you were a Vanderstreet," he said.

Vanderstreet said his father, brother and grandfather were all career police officers in the City of Newark, where his great- and great-great grandfather were firefighters.

"There's a long history of public service in my family," he said.

Vanderstreet said he is "thankful" for what he called "a fulfilling and rewarding career."

"I work with a great group of men and women who all share the philosophy that public service is paramount, and I'm grateful for having had this opportunity to serve."

As captain, Vanderstreet earned a salary of $159,409 including longevity and holiday pay. Tucci said Tuesday his salary will remain the same as chief as per a police salary ordinance the council passed in March.