Police and fire made the headlines at the January 22 West Windsor Council meeting, but there were no traffic accidents, burglaries, or burning buildings to worry about.
The police made news for promoting several officers: Patrick O’Brien was promoted to lieutenant, and officers MaryLouise Dranchak, Brian Geraghty, Robert Fow, and Danny Mohr were all promoted to sergeant. Patrolman Nicholas Barber was also sworn in. Family and friends of the honorees were present for the ceremony. Both O’Brien and Geraghty also live in West Windsor — see page 14.
The fire fighter were in the news because Council voted unanimously to purchase a new fire truck, one that carries foam instead of water, and a 1,50 0-gallon per minute pump. Fire Chief Richard Glover explained that the new truck will take care of the mini-mansions and can put out car fires faster than one using water.
The new fire truck will cost approximately $723,000. A five percent down payment will need to be paid up front, but Mayor Shing-Fu Hseuh explained that this money will be obtained from the sale of the old truck, which is almost 20 years old. The new truck will also replace another truck that was retired from service five years ago. Mayor Hseuh added that “because the money for the new truck was approved in last year’s budget, no new tax increases will be incurred by purchasing the truck.”
Township landscape architect Dan Dobromilski was unable to attend the meeting, but is scheduled to give a short presentation on the proposed Pocket Park at the Council meeting on Monday, February 4, at the request of Council Member Linda Geevers.
The Council also approved several professional service agreements with various engineering firms for $475 each. This amount will not actually be paid to the firms; contracts require a dollar amount to be valid, and $475 is the lowest amount that can be entered into a contract. These contracts serve as place-holders, in the event that the Township needs to utilize one or more of these firms to review specific projects or proposals.
Finally, the Council passed several resolutions, including the authorization of development plans for the West Windsor Gardens II at the Glen at West Windsor; as well as a resolution entering into a conservation and maintenance agreement with the NJ Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission to insure maintenance of the Alexander Road at Old Bear Brook Road stormwater management facility improvement project to mitigate any stormwater impacts created by the project.
In addition, the Council authorized the connection of vacant property at 4201 Quakerbridge Road to the Lawrence Township sewer system to allow for future development; the collection of $31,996 from the state for costs incurred by enforcing traffic safety programs along the Route 1 safe corridor zone.
#b#Cops & Neighbors#/b#
Lt. Patrick O’Brien lives in West Windsor with his wife, Jill, and his four children, Sean and Emily, who attend High School South; Danny, who goes to Maurice Hawk; and Brody, who is in pre-school. All were present at the promotion ceremony. O’Brien has been a police officer in West Windsor for 23 years, in a variety of positions, including juvenile officer and DARE instructor at Village School.
“Kids are our future and I really love being involved with them,” O’Brien said. “I have also been a baseball coach for many years, most recently as Sean’s District One Babe Ruth All-stars coach. This year I will begin coaching Danny’s Triple AAA baseball team. I love working with the West Windsor Police Department. If I ever decide to leave, it will be to go into education.” O’Brien is also a student himself. He is currently enrolled at Strayer University and is completing his bachelor’s and earning his master’s degrees. He is majoring in criminal justice, and minoring in education.
O’Brien comes from a law enforcement family. His grandfather, Darby Patrick O’Brien, worked for the Trenton Police Department. O’Brien never met his grandfather, who died the year he was born, but knows that his grandfather instilled the value of working in law enforcement in the family’s later generations: O’Brien’s older brother John is a Lieutenant with the State Police, and his sister’s husband is a State Police Captain. When O’Brien graduated from high school, he wanted to continue his education, but he always wanted to become a police officer.
“I tested for the NJ State Police, and was accepted, but a hiring freeze was imposed before I was offered a position. So I decided to come to West Windsor PD, because of the high accolades the department received from other police in the area. Former Chief Frank Cox, who was at the ceremony, interviewed me and asked me what I would do if he hired me and then the State Troopers offered me a job. I said I would stay with West Windsor and I have, and I have never looked back.”
Sgt. Brian Geraghty, whose mother, sister Jackie, and brother Timmy accompanied him to the ceremony, is also a West Windsor resident, albeit a recent one. “I moved here about a year ago, when the Princeton Terrace condos opened up. Before that I lived in Jackson, and the commute was over an hour long each way. It was terrible. I resisted moving to West Windsor for a long time because my father, who was the chief of police in Lacey Township, gave me some advice. He said, ‘It’s tough being a cop in the town where you live. You become invested in the town, but you are also living in a fishbowl — everyone has their eyes on you.’ But now that I’ve moved here, I love it, and wish I had moved here sooner.”
When Geraghty graduated from high school, he worked in a variety of positions, including as a security guard, bouncer, a lifeguard, and in construction, before deciding to become a police officer. “I realized I wanted a job where I could actually make a difference, to have a gratifying feeling about what I was doing. It is nice to get paid for something you love to do, and to be able to do something good for others, too.” He started out as a police officer in Beach Haven, Long Beach Island, and, but for a chance encounter, might have remained there.
“I came to West Windsor by accident. I drove out here to watch a friend play football at Princeton, and we got a flat tire in West Windsor. A West Windsor patrolman came up behind us, and actually helped us change the tire. We started talking, and he told me that they were hiring at the time. So I decided to take the test. I didn’t know anyone here. I got hired on merit. I really liked that. So I took the job and have stayed here ever since,” he said.
“I have been offered positions in other police departments, much closer to my home in Jackson, but turned them down. I can’t ask to be in a better place. The West Windsor police department is head and shoulders above other departments. And we are treated very well here — by the community, the Town Council, everyone. I will finish my career here.”
Geraghty added that he has worked in a variety of positions, including as an undercover narcotics detective on a Trenton task force; a firearms instructor; a founding member of the tactical response team; a member of the honor guard, and a field training officer, mentoring and training new recruits.
“Now I will be coordinating the field training officer program. I have some great trainers working with me; it will be another great experience. I am also currently an adjunct police instructor at the Mercer County Police Academy, teaching physical training. And I have been involved in many charitable causes as a police officer as well, including the Special Olympics, the polar bear plunge, and the police unity tour.”
Said Geraghty: “When you get hired by the West Windsor police department, it’s an investment. You want to make it an even better place than when you arrived. It’s part of giving back to the department and to the community.”
