Capt. Paprota to be Appointed Chief of Police

After months of deliberation by the township Committee, Capt. David Paprota will be promoted to Chief of Police Thursday.

“I’ve been working very closely with (Paprota) one on one,” Committeeman and police department liaison Gary Quinn said. “He’s done an outstanding job. He has handled things as the utmost professional.”

With former Chief of Police William Nally retiring at the end of 2012, the Committee has since considered hiring a Public Safety Director. There were 20 applicants for the position.

“We had some really good, qualified candidates,” Quinn said.

Each of the Committee members reviewed the applications and narrowed down the candidates, he said.

“We made a commitment to the public as the Committee to investigate options to do what’s best for the township,” he said.

But the qualifications of those candidates and the restrictions that they would have as Public Safety Director did not match the abilities of Paprota, Quinn said.

According to other townships with a Public Safety Director, the position could come with a greater salary and more limitations.

“There were certain duties the Public Safety Director couldn’t perform. Having seen the way Capt. Paprota was leading the department, we thought the best way to go for the residents of the town was with the Chief of Police," he said.

As the township went through the “vetting process,” Paprota was temporarily named Officer in Charge.

The Committee saw that Paprota has a “great relationship” with the officers and is an “outstanding gentleman,” Quinn said.

Paprota began work in the department upon Nally’s retirement. His first order of business was initiating a crime alert on the police department’s website to allow residents access to timely information on criminal activity that may be affecting their neighborhoods.

He also “shined” at Red Night Out, where he spoke out about alcohol and drug addiction in Lacey Township, Quinn said.

“He seems to click so well with the community…He’s a gentleman who wants to have a presence in the community,” Quinn said. “You couldn’t ask for a more educated individual when it comes to anything dealing with the law enforcement field.”

At Thursday’s township meeting, the Committee will vote to approve a resolution appointing Paprota to Chief of Police and another resolution to set his salary at $158,000. Paprota currently makes $155,000.

“I am looking forward to serving as Lacey’s Chief of Police,” Paprota said.

Paprota will continue to work daily to improve operations at the police department, he said.

“I am blessed to have exceptional personnel within the department who truly care about Lacey Township,” he said. “The promotion to Chief is truly an honor.”

The position of captain will not be filled upon Paprota’s promotion, Quinn said.

“We’re looking to make changes in the department,” he said.

The township will see a savings from the open position as well as upcoming retirements within the police department, he said. This will give the Committee the ability to hire four more police officers, which may happen as early as April.

The move is paramount as the township could lose seven more officers in the next two years, Quinn said.

“Economically, we’re getting the best chief we can ask for and we’re benefiting to move those funds to another area of need,” Quinn said. “I think the community is going to be very supportive of that.”

Paprota joined the police department in 1992 after serving with the Tinton Falls Police Department in Monmouth County, according to the Lacey Township Police Department's website. He was promoted to Captain in 2005 and currently serves as the department’s Patrol Division Commander. He earned a Doctorate Degree, Ed.D., from Seton Hall University in 2012, is a published author and has produced police training materials.