WAYNE, N.J. — Three township police officers were promoted Wednesday night.
Detective Capt. Jack McNiff, Lt. Chris Wittig and Sgt. Richard Oberti were promoted at a council meeting by Chief James Clarke.
"Police officersare out there 365 days a year protecting us," Mayor Chris Vergano said, "and we couldn’t be prouder of our department."
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McNiff, a Wayne resident, is a 21-year police veteran who joined the Wayne Police Department 16 years ago. He has served in various capacities, including as a community police officer, a member of the anti-crime task force, crisis negotiator and D.A.R.E. instructor.
McNiff said his stint as a school resource office at Anthony Wayne Middle School was the most rewarding assignment of his career.
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McNiff was a patrol sergeant and lieutenant before being assigned to the internal affairs department.
Wittig, a detective, was sworn in as sergeant in 2011. He helped found the department's Youth Police Academy. He is a former school resource officer at Wayne Hills High School and solved a bomb incident at Wayne Valley High School in 2007.
Wittig was made an acting lieutenant in November and reassigned to the patrol division. He is a member of the Marine Unit, a rifle operator and a defensive tactics and physical training instructor.
Sgt. Richard Oberti joined the department in 1992. He was a member of the patrol division for eight years before going to the Narcotics Bureau and then the Investigative Division for a decade. He is now back in the patrol division and was made an acting sergeant in November.
RELATED: Two-Thirds Of Cops Vote 'No Confidence' In Chief
The promotions come soon after two-thirds of the PBA Local 136 members cast votes of no confidence in Clarke. Several members have filed Civil Rights complaints and complaints in Superior Court.
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Photo, from left: Detective Capt. Laurence Martin, Capt. Keith O’Sullivan, Sgt. Richard Oberti, Detective Capt. John McNIff, Lt. Christian Wittig and Chief James Clarke. Image courtesy of the Wayne Police Department
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