HOWELL – At the recent 2020-21 installation dinner, Howell Police Chief Andrew Kudrick was honored for becoming President of the Monmouth County Police Chiefs Association.
On February 25, the Association held their annual Installation Dinner to recognize the new members of the Executive Board. Normally, the dinner is held at the end of the year, but had to be postponed due to gathering restrictions from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Back in December of 2020, when the dinner would have been held, the Monmouth County Police Chiefs Association instead held a luncheon to announce the officers in the Executive Board. Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni performed the swearing in of the 2021 Executive Officers.
The Association congratulated the following police chiefs for their board positions:
- President – Andrew Kudrick, Jr., Howell PD
- Vice President – Michael Bauer, Manasquan PD
- 2nd Vice President – Michael Kelly, Oceanport PD
- Sergeant at Arms – Darren McConnell, Red Bank PD
- Secretary – Michael Schneider, Allenhurst PD
- Treasurer – Kevin Sauter, Colts Neck PD
- Immediate Past President – R. Craig Weber, Middletown PD
The Monmouth County Police Chiefs Association also congratulated their 2020 President Chief Weber for leading the organization during very difficult times.
“We look forward to representing all Monmouth County Police Chiefs and engaging and embracing our communities,” the Monmouth County Police Chiefs Association wrote in a statement.
At the 2020/21 Installation Dinner, Chief Andrew Kudrick was honored on becoming the President of the Monmouth County Police Chiefs Association.
“Being president of this association is not just a title, it’s a responsibility. Like all presidents before me, I’ll be devoted to elevating the standards of this profession and build upon the positive relations with our communities all while upholding and defending the position of the chief of police against outside influence and interference. And it seems as of late, I will be surely busy this year,” Kudrick said.
During Kudrick’s speech, he expressed how important physical and mental health wellness is for officers.
“My initiative as president will focus on the both the physical health and mental wellness of the police chiefs. This needs to be engrained culture in this profession. All too often we focus primarily on the officers under our command. And rightfully so. However, we need to pay attention to ourselves. Since we are at the top of our organizations, there’s no one assisting us. And think about that, we are the ones who need to be at the top of our game. Our organization needs to be healthy,” Kudrick stated.
“Gone are the days where seeking help is viewed as weak. It’s actually quite the opposite in my opinion. Gone is the belief the traumas that we see and deal with we are considered part of the job. They’re not. We often stress “officer safety” and “tactics.” We spend hours training for firearms proficiency for that rare occasion we may need to use it. We send our children to prep classes for higher SAT scores. We send them to personal trainers to excel in sports or at the gym. Many of us need to pay for some golf lessons with a pro. None of those have any type of stigma attached to it. But talk about seeing a mental health professional to improve ourselves? There’s still a negative connotation. That shouldn’t be,” he said.
“We are extremely fortunate to have guidance from my friend Dr. Lewis Schlosser. I have turned to Dr. Schlosser on many occasions for guidance…we regularly discuss officer wellness – bouncing ideas off of one another…I look forward to you working with you this year with my fellow Monmouth County Chiefs.”
At the dinner, Howell Mayor Theresa Berger and Councilman John Bonevich presented a proclamation in honor of Chief Kudrick. County Commissioner Tom Arnone and Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso also held presentations congratulating the Monmouth County Police Chiefs who overlook the safety of the county’s officers and communities.
