Keyport to swear in new police chief
Capt. Theodore
Gajewski tapped to fill restored post
By elaine van develde
Staff Writer
 

JEFF HUNTLEY New Keyport Police Chief Theodore Gajewski will be formally sworn in next week.

There’s a new chief in town. Though he’s no stranger to the turf, Keyport’s new police chief, Theodore Gajewski, is a rookie at holding the title.

At last week’s meeting, the Borough Council adopted an ordinance restoring the position of police chief, a step it had agreed to make in June, and with it came the appointment of Gajewski as chief.

For about a year now, since the illness and death of former Police Director Frank Miele, Gajewski has been acting in Miele’s stead as captain/commanding officer in charge. Miele was the borough’s first civilian police director, filling the then newly established director’s position in 1996 after the retirement of Chief Howard Ruth.

Gajewski will be sworn in as chief at the Sept. 19 council meeting. Mayor Kevin Graham announced that the meeting place will be switched to Keyport Central School on Broad Street to accommodate the crowd anticipated for the ceremony.

Keyport officials have asked for a waiver from the state’s Department of Personnel on the chief’s test, as the borough currently has only two people qualified for the position.

"Capt. Gajewski has been running the department without the presence of a director for about a year already," Graham said. "We feel he’s amply qualified and deserves the promotion without testing."

With Gajewski’s appointment, came the promotion of Lt. John Dayback to captain. Dayback’s appointment is provisional pending a captain’s test. The state requires the test, without waiver, in Dayback’s case since there are five individuals currently qualified to take the test for promotion to lieutenant when his position is vacated.

"I’m very happy for both," said Graham. "The department has come a long way in the last couple of years, largely because of the diplomatic handling of situations and personnel by both. I’m also happy to see the chief’s position re-established. It’s a positive move in the best interest of the borough."

Though Gajewski, a 22-year Keyport police veteran, is thrilled with his appointment, he is even happier that the position of chief has been re-established.

"To me, it’s been a long time coming," he said. "I respected and admired Frank Miele a great deal. Neither one of us liked the position of director. He’d be happy to see the change."

After research into the matter, the council conceded in early June that the reversion was warranted and in the best interest of the borough.

Gajewski commented that when a position of police director is established, the person holding the position does not have to be a police officer, which he thinks is critical to maintaining high department morale and empathy. He said that the town just happened to be fortunate enough to have Miele, who had an extensive police background, in the director’s position.

Miele had a 28-year career as a law enforcement officer. He was captain of the N.J. State Police when he retired and came to Keyport. "Miele didn’t come in as a business person; he came in as a cop and that made a world of difference," said Gajewski.

According to Gajewski, a factor to consider when deciding whether a police director or chief’s position works better for a town is the town’s size. "It tends to work better in a big department where there’s a lot of administrative work to deal with. When a town is very large it can be beneficial to have more of a business person on board.

"However, when a town is small, like Keyport, the business background really isn’t necessary and can be a hindrance. In any event, the force members are happy to have the chief’s position back. Morale has been at a peak and everyone feels more productive," he added.

Gajewski has lived in Keyport for about 26 years and takes a great deal of pride in the police department. He commented that the strong support generated throughout town in making the shift back to a chief’s position was invaluable to him as well as everyone on the force.