(Fanwood, NJ)—Mayor Colleen Mahr, the Borough Council Public Safety Committee, and Capt. José Vendas, Officer in Charge of the Fanwood Police Department, presented awards for extraordinary service today to more than a dozen officers. The Mayor and Borough Council recognized them during the regular Council meeting, held via ZOOM, in observance of National Police Week. The presentations occurred before the meeting outside Borough Hall.
The officers were cited for their actions during a variety of emergencies including an aggravated assault in a Fanwood home that resulted in the quick arrest of the suspect and timely medical aid to the victim, a drug overdose, a child struck by a car, and trapped under it, the helicopter evacuation of a resident with a traumatic injury following a fall, the capture of a burglary suspect, giving life-saving CPR and AED treatment to a fall victim who stopped breathing and outstanding service to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. The officers honored are:
Off. Elliot Bernard
Off. Kathy Case
Det. Sgt. Nicholas Falcicchio (Union Co. Prosecutor’s Office)
Lt. Marc Gottlick (retired)
Off. Carlos Gonzalez
Sgt. Ron Greco (retired)
Off. Tim Green
Capt. Kevin Grimmer (Union Co. Prosecutor’s Office)
Off. Sean Hoffman
Off. Rob Jastrzebski
Sgt. Dan Piccola
Off. Mike Rusin
Sgt. Phil Ugone
A proclamation by the Mayor and Council calls on citizens to “recognize our law enforcement officers, past and present, who, by their faithful and loyal devotion to their responsibilities, have rendered a dedicated service to our community and, in so doing, have established for themselves an enviable and enduring reputation for preserving the rights and security of all citizens.”
(Other officers not pictured were called to an emergency during the presentation)
Photos courtesy of Tom Kranz.