New Westfield Police Captain, Chaplains To be Sworn In Tuesday

WESTFIELD, NJ - Tuesday night's meeting of the Westfield Mayor and Council will feature the promotion of Lieutenant Frank Padovano to captain and the appointment of Rabbi Sagal and Deacon Gibbons as Police Chaplains.

“I am excited to announce the promotion of Captain Padovano and appointment of Chaplains
Rabbi Sagal and Deacon Gibbons,” Westfield Police Chief Christopher Battiloro said. “They are all outstanding individuals who will contribute greatly to the Westfield Police Department and the Town of Westfield."

Padovano was elevated by Battiloro Feb. 1, but he will be sworn in officially by Mayor Shelley Brindle on Tuesday.

Padovano was appointed to the Westfield Police Department as a Patrol Officer on July 24, 1998. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of Sergeant of Police on June 2, 2008 and to Lieutenant of Police on July 29, 2013. Padovano is a 1997 graduate of Rutgers University and, prior to his appointment to the Westfield Police Department, served as a Corrections Officer with the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

Padovano is a highly decorated member of the Westfield Police Department. He was awarded two Life Saving Medals, the Medal of Merit, twelve Command Citations, the Hurricane Sandy Service Award and two Certificates of Merit. Padovano served as a member of both the civil disturbance and SWAT elements of the Union County Emergency Response Team. He presently serves as the commanding officer of the Westfield Police Department’s Emergency Service Unit and as the Westfield Police Department’s supervising Firearms Instructor.
Captain Padovano will be assigned as the commanding officer of the Westfield Police Department’s Administrative Division. Additionally, he will serve as the Westfield Police Department’s Accreditation Manager, once the department commences the process of seeking accreditation from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police in 2019.
Padovano resides in Cranford with his wife, Michelle, and their three children: Jordan, Olivia and Riley.

Chief Battiloro said the Chaplains will not only serve the members of the Westfield Police Department and their families in times of need, but also the general public.

“We are striving to find better ways to serve the public and I am certain these Chaplains will help us do just that. I expect they will bring incredible compassion to the position, especially during difficult situations, such as in instances of serious accidents and sudden deaths,” he said.
Chaplain Rabbi Sagal, a Westfield resident, is the Senior Rabbi at Temple Emanu-El. He was raised in Summit and Berkeley Heights and graduated from Governor Livingston High School.

Sagal attended Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT and then seminary at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Jerusalem and New York City, where he was ordained in 1990. He was also awarded a master’s degree in Sacred Theology by Yale University Divinity School in 1998 and, this summer, will be named a Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.

As a rabbinical student, Sagal served as a hospital chaplain in New York City and as a student Rabbi in Pennsylvania. He previously served as Rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom in Chester, Conn., and as a Senior Rabbi of KAM Isaiah Israel in Chicago, Ill.,
Sagal and his wife, Dr. Lauren Kaplan-Sagal, have three children: Michal, Kyra and Coby.

Chaplain Deacon Gibbons, a lifelong Westfield resident, was ordained as Permanent Deacon in 2005 and serves “The Mission” at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in many ministries that include Hope Heals Cancer Care Ministry, St. Joseph’s Soup Kitchen and Cornerstone Retreats. He is a graduate of Westfield High School and Kean University.

Gibbons is past Grand Knight of the Monsignor Henry Watterson Knights of
Columbus, former Athletic Director of Holy Trinity School and a member of the Sons of the
American Legion. He formed the Westfield Veterans Fund to help his son complete his Eagle
Scout project – the Westfield Vietnam Memorial and is a member of the Westfield Ministerium. Chaplain Deacon Gibbons and his wife, Terri, and have four children: Kelly, Kyle, Gus and Luke – all Westfield High School graduates.

All three will be ceremoniously sworn in to their new positions by Mayor Shelley Brindle at the meeting of the Town Council at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

(Photo courtesy of Westfield)

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