STAFFORD – Stafford Police Chief Tom Dellane is retiring after nearly four decades in law enforcement and almost 37 years of service to the local community. His last day was February 29.
Dellane, 57, who grew up in Toms River and comes from a law enforcement family, said he chose now because it was the right time to go.
“Everyone always said you knew when it was time (to retire),” Dellane said. “So, I woke up one morning, and it was time.”
The outgoing chief started his career in 1985 as a special police officer in Seaside Park and was hired by Stafford as a Class I officer on August 31, 1987. He rose through the ranks and became the chief seven and a half years ago.
During his tenure, Dellane has seen many changes and challenges, including the growth of the town and the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. He’s also witnessed a dramatic increase in a lack of civility and numbers of people in some sort of mental health crisis.
In an exclusive interview, Dellane termed one of his proudest achievements as more of an agency accomplishment. The implementation of the On P.O.I.N.T. (Proactive Outreach In Needs and Treatment) program has expanded and is now used in 12 other towns.
When Dellane served as a captain, he collaborated with licensed clinical social worker Meghan Corrigan, who Dellane credited with originating the concept of the On P.O.I.N.T program. Through a partnership with Bright Harbor, this initiative has effectively decreased the recurrence of calls related to mental health, substance abuse, and social service matters. Social workers offer follow-up assistance to individuals in need, aiming to prevent their involvement in the criminal justice system or reliance on acute and emergency services.
“It was Meghan’s baby, and I was just able to help move it along a bit,” shared Dellane. “It’s helped immensely.”
“When Matt Platkin became the Attorney General for New Jersey, I had pitched the idea to him to fund On P.O.I.N.T. as a county wide pilot program,” Dellane continued. “That didn’t come to fruition, but that’s where the ARRIVE Together program comes from for the State of New Jersey.”
The ARRIVE acronym stands for Alternative Responses to Reduce Instances of Violence and Escalation, which Dellane said has a few iterations throughout the state. It’s essentially a co-response program, which partners social workers with police officers.
“The iterations in Ocean County are not the co-response model,” explained Dellane. “Here it’s been more of a follow-up model.”
While the On P.O.I.N.T. program aims to provide assistance to individuals before they reach their crisis points, it has also led to an increased focus among local police officers on de-escalating situations. Dellane highlighted that the Stafford Police Department is certified by ABLE (Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement), indicating that officers are trained to intervene effectively to prevent harm and foster a supportive law enforcement culture.
Stafford was among the first 75 agencies nationwide to receive this certification. All local officers receive extensive training, with ongoing instruction to maintain certification, including communication and de-escalation training conducted by certified instructors.
“When I present the annual report that the police department prepares to the governing body every year,” Dellane said, “I always thank them because they spend a lot of money on training.”
“I believe there’s a direct correlation between the amount and quality of the training that you do, and the liability exposure the township has,” continued Dellane. “Since I’ve been chief of police, there’s not been one lawsuit for excessive force or false arrest.”
In his role as chief, Dellane said he has hired over half of the current police department, which is authorized for 60 officers and will be three short upon his retirement. A local ordinance requires the governing body to select his successor as an officer who has served in a supervisory position within the department for at least five years. Two captains, Jim Haldenwang and Ken Schiattarella, and Sergeant Jay Costello meet the requisite criteria.
Worldwide Reach
In addition to his role within the law enforcement community, Dellane holds a law degree from Rutgers University and is a licensed attorney. He appears to have an exceptional ability to digest and convey the intricacies of policy changes, including their formation.
As one of 20 chiefs assigned to a committee within the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Dellane has contributed to the development of model policies globally. Having recently completed his term as the president of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, Dellane views his involvement as a platform to advocate for issues impacting law enforcement at a statewide level.
New Jersey is the only state to consider the state’s attorney general as its chief law enforcement officer. In the last few years, several new directives have come down from the attorney general’s office that have changed the tenor of police work throughout the state. While some, such as bail reform, have been controversial, Dellane was able to bring a balanced perspective to how it works.
“The purpose of bail reform is to ensure if you’re arrested for something minor and you don’t have the financial means to bail yourself out, you don’t sit in jail for a year until your case comes to trial,” explained Dellane. “If you don’t commit any other crime, bail reform works.”
“Bail reform has always worked for the very serious crimes and the very minor crimes,” Dellane continued. “Bail reform ran into issues with multiple repeat offenders in that area between very minor and very serious crimes.”
Dellane’s participation in the state chief’s association or his capacity to consider issues from various perspectives garnered attention from state leaders. Governor Phil Murphy appointed Dellane, one of the few law enforcement representatives, to the body camera working group. Additionally, Chief Justice Roberts of the New Jersey Supreme Court appointed Dellane to a criminal justice reform working group.
A proponent of transparency, Dellane has also pushed for reform of the Open Public Records Act (OPRA), noting its misuse by certain individuals to the extent of harassment. For example, he highlighted instances where commercial entities obtain motor vehicle action reports through OPRA to pass on to attorneys for solicitation requests.
What Comes Next
“Every day I’ve come to work here in Stafford, I’ve told my team here that we do a great job here,” shared Dellane. “I still look to improve things, to make things better – because the day you stop improving, you start going backward.”
The retiring chief said he adapted the same philosophy at the statewide level, focusing on trying to make law enforcement in New Jersey a better place. His dedication to that cause will persist in his capacity as the Immediate Past President of the state chiefs association.
Dellane said that he’s always had at least three jobs and plans to continue in two of them. These include his work at MetLife Stadium as a division security supervisor and his part time law practice doing transactional work like real estate and wills.
“I’ve been doing some law enforcement consulting,” Dellane said. “I’d also like to get into acting as an expert in defense of police officers when they’re sued.”
