As reported by NJ.com, fourteen (14) Trenton police officers were promoted on Monday during a subdued City Hall ceremony.  The officers raised their right hands and took oaths to become sergeants, lieutenants, captains without family and friends in the audience.  The only attendees were fellow officers, who leaned against the wall and took occasional pictures with their phones. The promotions were done without fanfare because the police department just received the go-ahead certifications from the State and Police Director Ernie Parrey said he wanted to get the officers into new roles.

Some of the promotions were for officers reclaiming ranks they lost during the mass layoffs and demotions in the police force in 2011.  The six officers who received sergeant badges were provisional appointments, partially due to a federal consent decree.  “It’s an epic day for us to say the least,” Parrey said.  “Now we have to go out and do the jobs we have.”  Parrey said the promotions marked a “new day” for the department and promised the officers a more formal ceremony in the near future, with their families and the usual pomp.

Parrey said he contacted the Civil Service Commission about the promotions and receive the approvals necessary. The sergeants from the priority list are: Howard Watkins, Jr., James Taliaferro III and Bethesda Stokes.  Re-promoted provisionally to sergeant were:  Johnny Coe, Jr., Marshall Rivera, and Christopher Kolodziej.  The lieutenants promoted Monday all previously held that rank prior to the layoffs and demotions.  They are Kenneth Zahn, David Cruz, and Leonard Sutton Jr. and Christopher Doyle.

Don Fillinger, Mark Kieffer, Jr., Anthony Pasqua, and Edelmiro Gonzales Jr. all became captains Monday and will hold command positions.  Kieffer will head the patrol bureau, Pasqua the administration bureau, Fillinger the detective bureau and Gonzales will continue as chief of staff and will also command communications as well.

“We are striving for a Trenton Police Department that reflects in the rank-and-file and command structure the diversity of our capital city, and this work continues,” Mayor Eric Jackson said in a release.  “Our police force is among the best in America and I am delighted to elevate these men to their new ranks, particularly as we work to strengthen the department’s relationship with our communities.”

Tags: 2011 layoffs, Mercer Police, NJ Police, NJ Public Safety Officers, promoitons, Trenton PD
Print:
Email this postTweet this postLike this postShare this post on LinkedIn
Photo of Donald C. Barbati Donald C. Barbati

Donald C. Barbati is a shareholder of Crivelli, Barbati & DeRose, L.L.C. His primary practice revolves around the representation of numerous public employee labor unions in various capacities to include contract negotiation, unfair labor practice litigation, contract grievance arbitration, and other diverse issues…

Donald C. Barbati is a shareholder of Crivelli, Barbati & DeRose, L.L.C. His primary practice revolves around the representation of numerous public employee labor unions in various capacities to include contract negotiation, unfair labor practice litigation, contract grievance arbitration, and other diverse issues litigated before the courts and administrative tribunals throughout the State of New Jersey. In addition, Mr. Barbati also routinely represents individuals in various types of public pension appeals, real estate transactions, and general litigation matters. He is a frequent contributor to the New Jersey Public Safety Officers Law Blog, a free legal publication designed to keep New Jersey public safety officers up-to-date and informed about legal issues pertinent to their profession. During his years of practice, Mr. Barbati has established a reputation for achieving favorable results for his clients in a cost-efficient manner.

Mr. Barbati has also handled numerous novel legal issues while representing New Jersey Public Safety Officers. Most notably, he served as lead counsel for the Appellants in the published case In re Rodriguez, 423 N.J. Super. 440 (App. Div. 2011). In that case, Mr. Barbati successfully argued on behalf of the Appellants, thereby overturning the Attorney General’s denial of counsel to two prison guards in a civil rights suit arising from an inmate assault. In the process, the Court clarified the standard to be utilized by the Attorney General in assessing whether a public employee is entitled to legal representation and mandated that reliance must be placed on up-to-date information.

Prior to becoming a practicing attorney, Mr. Barbati served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Linda R. Feinberg, Assignment Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Mercer Vicinage. During his clerkship Mr. Barbati handled numerous complex and novel substantive and procedural issues arising from complaints in lieu of prerogative writs, orders to show cause, and motion practice. These include appeals from decisions by planning and zoning boards and local government bodies, bidding challenges under the Local Public Contract Law, Open Public Records Act requests, the taking of private property under the eminent domain statute, and election law disputes. In addition, Mr. Barbati, as a certified mediator, mediated many small claims disputes in the Special Civil Part.

Mr. Barbati received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, magna cum laude, from Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Upon graduating, Mr. Barbati attended Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware. In 2007, he received his juris doctorate, magna cum laude, graduating in the top five percent of his class. During law school, Mr. Barbati interned for the Honorable Joseph E. Irenas, Senior United States District Court Judge for the District of New Jersey in Camden, New Jersey, assisting on various constitutional, employment, and Third Circuit Court of Appeals litigation, including numerous civil rights, social security, and immigration cases.

Read more about Donald C. Barbati
Show more Show less