BRICK – David Forrester was named as the new Chief of Police for the township, the fourth in the history of the Brick Township Police Department.
During a brief ceremony held on February 1 at the municipal complex, Mayor John G. Ducey administered the swearing-in of the new chief as well as a new captain, a new lieutenant and a new sergeant.
The mayor said that the township police department is one of the top departments in the state. He said once he was elected and had the opportunity to work closely with the police department and see what they do every day he developed a greater grasp on how demanding the job is and how hard the officers work.
“Our officers are highly-trained and dedicated professionals,” the mayor said. “They are committed to making our community safe, and they stand ready 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to answer the call when the people of Brick Township need you, for whatever purpose it may be,” he said to a standing-room only crowd of police officers, their families and others who attended the swearing-in ceremony.
Mayor Ducey said he wanted every police officer to know that “I truly appreciate your work” and said that that sentiment is shared by the township council and by the entire town.
“Our town loves our police department, which is something to say especially in the state of the United States at this point,” the mayor added.
Mayor Ducey said that appointing a new police chief is a great responsibility, and said he has the utmost confidence in his decision to appoint David Forrester, who has been a member of the Brick Police Department since February 1996.
According to Township Business Administrator Joanne Bergin, since Brick Township is a Civil Service town, the state administers a test for police hires and promotions and Chief Forrester ranked number one on the chief’s test. He was appointed by the mayor and his appointment does not require council approval.
Over the past nearly three decades, Forrester has “consistently proven himself to be an exceptional law enforcement officer” who has served in many roles in the department “that are too many to list,” Mayor Ducey said.
Some of his past positions and responsibilities include patrol officer, field training officer, school resource officer, detective, member of CERT, sergeant, assistant accreditation manager, training supervisor, patrol supervisor, lieutenant, internal affairs, captain, community policing division commander and investigations division commander.
“This is all in addition to his constant efforts to expand his knowledge about law enforcement through education seminars as well as training,” the mayor said. “As you can see, his resume is incredibly impressive; his breadth of knowledge of the department and law enforcement made him the ideal candidate to be the next chief of police.”
In his brief comments, Chief Forrester thanked the mayor, the business administrator and the council for believing in him and selecting him.
“I really appreciate it. It’s a great honor, especially to lead the men and women I have in my department,” he said. “They make my job throughout my career very easy, and I’m looking forward to leading into the future.”
The first Brick Township police chief was Ronald J. Dougard, who was appointed in 1990. In 2008, Nils R. Bergquist became the second police chief, who served until 2015 when James Riccio became the new chief.
