The Hightstown council unanimously approved the appointment of a Lacey Township police veteran as Highstown's first civilian police director Monday.

James K. Le Tellier, who retired from Lacey's police department in 2005, will start immediately, and his contract runs for three years.

Le Tellier, a Forked River resident, served as a lieutenant and division commander for Lacey's police department over the course of eight years, and has over 25 years of law enforcement experience. He has also worked as an instructor for the New Jersey Regional Policing Institute, the Ocean County Police Academy and as a training coordinator for the Lacey Township Police Department, according to Hightstown Administrator Michael Theokas.

Le Tellier said the first thing he’s going to do is look at the budget and work on it for the year. 

Council member Lawrence Quattrone, who serves as the liaison to the police department, said he looks forward to working with Le Tellier and getting him started.

“Whether it was a time for change or not, we made a change,” Quattrone said. “I have high hopes for him.”

Le Tellier holds a master’s degree in administrative science from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from Thomas Edison State College. He is also a graduate of the West Point Command and Leadership Program.

“We really anticipate that he’ll make a big difference,” Mayor Steven Kirson said.

There were more than 50 applications for the civilian police director position, which heads a department of 10 sworn police officers and a police dog.