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On April 28, 1923,
Little Silver became an independent borough. At the first Borough Council meeting, Arthur Bates was appointed Marshall. On
June 12, 1923, William Carhart Jr. was named to act as the Marshall’s substitute. Prior to these dates, the Monmouth
County Sherriff’s Office was the main form of law enforcement in the area. In 1924 the Borough Council named Frederick Hasler, Orlando P. Warden, Fred Ziegler and William Carhart Jr.
as Marshalls. These gentlemen served without pay but were available when needed. The council also ordered “Borough of
Little Silver Speed Laws Enforced” signs and placed them throughout various locations in town. Marshalls Hasler, Warden,
Ziegler and Carhart were later appointed Special Officers to work during the weekends at a rate of pay of $5.00 per day. These
gentlemen worked on a temporary basis for the next two years.
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| Fred Ziegler- 1st Chief of Police of the LSPD |
In 1926, the following Marshall appointments were made; V.P. Wilkinson,
Edward Fiedler, Edwin Hobbs, D.V. Fitzmaurice, Joseph Curtis and Morrell J. Moore. In May 1926, Fred Ziegler was appointed
to be a Special Traffic Officer and the council approved the purchase of a revolver for him. Officer Ziegler worked for the
summer and then he was appointed to canvass the borough and collect license fees for all unlicensed dogs. In January 1927, the first mention of a police department is mentioned in the Borough
Council minutes. Fred Ziegler was appointed Motor Police Officer on January 24, 1927 and a motorcycle was ordered for
him. Myron Campbell was appointed Constable for a three year period. Also, the following additional non paid Marshalls were
appointed; Clifford Herbert, Robert Curtis, Charles White and Frederick Hasler. The police motorcycle went into service on
May 28, 1927 and Officer Ziegler worked weekends from May 28 through October 2, 1927.
On January 2, 1928,
Fred Ziegler was appointed as the first full time Police Officer for the borough. Officer Ziegler served in this capacity
until June 24, 1930 where the first mention of a “Police Chief” is recorded in the Borough Council minutes. In
early 1930, councilmen Fiedler and Hasler donated a Ford coupe to serve as the borough’s first police car. In 1932, a fully equipped police department was created. It is reported that on Halloween
1932, ten special officers were on duty. In the early years, the police department was headquartered on Church Street above
the firehouse. It also served as the borough hall and library.
   In 1960, Chief Ziegler retired after 37 years serving the borough. James Fix who was a Captain
was appointed to replace him in 1961 and served until 1962 as Chief of Police. In November of 1963, John Foster was named
Chief of Police. In 1965-66, the department moved temporarily to the Lovett’s Nursery office on Church St (now
Cheshire Square) due to the construction of the current Borough Hall. The building was completed in 1966 and is the current
home of the department. The following officers were appointed during the 1960’s; Allan Wright 1960, David Clapp 1960, Thomas
Bruno 1964, Richard Canneto 1967, Harold Giblin 1968, Robert Nordt 1969 and Barry Parker 1969. The department totaled 10 police
officers in 1969. In 1971, Chief
Foster was elected the President of the Monmouth County Police Chief’s Association. He holds the distinction as the
only Police Chief from Little Silver to hold that post. In 1972, Gregory Strand was appointed as a police officer bringing
the force to a total of 11. The department also had 5 Special Officers and 4 Dispatchers. The patrol car fleet was 3 cars
including one unmarked car. During the middle 1970’s, two officers were added. In September 1974, John T. Hillyer was
appointed and Peter McCue was appointed in December 1975. This brought the total force to 13.
In 1981, Chief John Foster retired after 30 years of service. James J. Fagan was appointed Chief
of Police in January 1982. Also Walter Stearns was appointed Deputy Chief. During Chief Fagan’s tenure, the police department
grew in number and building size. Kevin Tuohy, William Wikoff and Edward Aras were appointed to the force in September of
1980. In November 1982, Stephen Greenwood was appointed as a police officer. In 1983, Rocco Marascio and Bryan Weader were
appointed Police Officers. In 1986, an addition was added on the rear of the building with three additional offices added
and a basement consisting of a locker room, evidence room and conference room. The dispatch desk was also replaced and brought
up to current standard and a second dispatch position was added. Chief Fagan was also instrumental in providing
the department with its first set of General Orders which served as a guideline for the efficient operation of the department.
The force grew to 14 officers during his tenure. In January 1987, Shannon Giblin and John Fay were appointed as Police Officers.
In July and August 1988, Frank Van Brunt and Timothy Mickens were appointed as Police Officers. On September 30, 1988
Chief Fagan retired and Thomas F. Bruno was appointed Chief of Police on October 3, 1988. On January 2, 1989, Sgt. Peter McCue
was named the department’s first plain clothes Investigator. In August 1989 Robert Frank was appointed as a Police Officer.
Most of the appointments were replacements for officers that retired or left the force.
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| LSPD 1968 |
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| S. Giblin being presented check by P.B.A. Silver Life Member Dr. Michael Sabia for balistic vests. |
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| LSPD 1989 |
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| LSPD rifle squad during Memorial Day ceremonies (1988) |
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| Deputy Chief Walter Stearns |
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| Silverbrook Rd. 1964 |
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| LSPD 1961 |
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| Walter Stearns and Thomas Bruno |
In 1935, the Little Silver Grammar School moved from Prospect Ave
to its current location on Markham Place. The former school house was named the Little Silver Borough Hall and the police
department had a home of their own in the building. In early 1937 a referendum was on the ballot to allow for the establishment
of a pension fund for paid policemen and firemen which was passed by an overwhelming 2 to 1 margin. During the next several years, Chief Ziegler served as the department’s only
full time officer. He attended training programs on his own time and expense. In 1945, the Borough council commended Chief
Ziegler fro his completion of a 14 week training course conducted by the FBI. There was no formal training locally for police
officers until 1951. The department continued to
operate through the 1940’s and in 1950; the force totaled three officers, Chief Ziegler and Officers George Elgrim and
Charles Earle. A Police Reserve was started in 1946 to assist whenever needed. During these early years, the use of part-time
Special Officers was common. Local residents, Warren Herbert and Al Kolman were two of the earliest Specials on the force. The
department added two police officers in 1951 with the addition of John Foster and James Fix. During the 1950’s there
were two murder investigations in Little Silver. One involved a gangster style drop off and the other involved the Johnson
family who lived off Spring Street atop Monmouth Gardens. The department also started to grow. Walter Stearns was appointed
in June 1956, David Kennedy was appointed in May 1958, and James Fagan was appointed in December 1959. The department also
purchased its second police car in 1958. Also appointed during the 1950's was Norman Skidmore. Special Officer Richard Tetley was
also a member of the force.
     The 1990’s brought some change to the department too. In January 1990, Timothy Ratty and
Martin Scherzinger joined the department soon followed by Carmen G. LaBruno who was appointed in March 1990. Joseph Mazza
Jr. and Daniel Shaffery were appointed in July 1992. In May 1993, Kevin Halpin was appointed. The police department
also started to participate in the D.A.R.E. program, a nationally recognized program which has police officers teaching in
the grammar school about drug abuse and resistance education. Chief Thomas Bruno retired mid year of 1995 and Gregory Strand
was named Chief of Police. In February 1996, Thomas Mancuso was appointed. Chief Strand also started a bicycle patrol
with the bicycles being purchased by the Little Silver PBA. Chief Strand retired in September
1997 and William Wikoff was named Chief of Police on September 2, 1997. The big change came in February 1998 when Elizabeth
Raleigh was appointed the first full time female police officer in Little Silver. In April 1999, following in the footsteps
of Chief Ziegler, the department started a Motor Unit with the purchase of a new Harley Davidson motorcycle. The first officers
trained to operate the motorcycle were Peter McCue, Stephen Greenwood and Kevin Halpin. Upgrades were made to the computer
and radio systems. In July 1999, Steven Solari was appointed as a police officer. All of the police officer appointments were
due to retirements or officers leaving the force.
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| (L-R) Peter McCue, Stephen Greenwood III, John Fay, William Wikoff III |
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| LSPD 1995 |
Following the millennium change, the department made the following appointments; Peter Gibson
and Paul Halpin were appointed on January 1, 2002 and Michael Lahey was appointed on March 1, 2002. While the appointment
of Gibson and Halpin were to replace officers that retired or left the force, Officer Lahey’s appointment added a new
position bringing the force to 15 sworn police officers. On January 21, 2003 Gregory Oliva was appointed as a police officer.
In 2005, Chief Wikoff announced his retirement and went on terminal leave. On July 18, 2005 Justin Bradley was appointed as
a police officer to replace the vacancy created by Chief Wikoff’s retirement. In the absence of Chief Wikoff, Stephen
Greenwood was named Acting Chief of Police. On June 5, 2006, Shannon Giblin was
named Chief of Police replacing Chief Wikoff and Stephen Greenwood was later named Deputy Chief of Police. One of the first
priorities for Chief Giblin was to establish the position of School Resource Officer at Red Bank Regional High School which
is located in Little Silver. After getting the acceptance and approval of the Principal, Superintendent and Board of Education,
Peter Gibson was selected and trained as a certified School Resource Officer and began working exclusively at Red Bank Regional
High School full time. On August 6, 2007 Frank Salerno was appointed as a police officer to replace Officer Gibson’s
position. This appointment brought the department to 16 sworn police officers, where it is today. On January 28, 2008, Robert
Chenoweth was appointed as a police officer to replace Deputy Chief Greenwood who retired. The police department operates
in an ever changing climate. The advancements in technology have made our mission more efficient. We
currently operate on a Computerized Aided Dispatch and Records Management System (CAD/RMS). The CAD/RMS allows us to easily
input calls for service into different catagories so that they can be quickly accessed for follow up investigation. The system
also allows us to quickly recall incidents for providing citizens with their own copy of reports. The CAD/RMS breaks down
information so that monthly reports, statistical information and names can be easily obtained without the delay that often
occured searching that information by hand. The police vehicles are all equipped with on board computers that transfers information
through a wireless network instantly. This technology allows officers to complete reports in the field. Patrol
is a vital instrument to fighting crime, keeping the officers in the field keeps the high visibility patrol function
intact. We are always looking to the future of technology to make our department the most efficient and best that it can be
to provide excellent service that our stakeholders, you the citizens, deserve.
Click here to view more photos
Little Silver Police Department * 480 Prospect Avenue * Little Silver, NJ * 07739 * (732)
747-5900 * Fax (732)741-5218
Copyright 2010-2012
Little Silver Police Department
This website
is designed and maintained by P.O. Robert Chenoweth
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