‘Hail to the chief’
To the Editor:
A page in the history of the Borough of East Newark will be turned on June 1, 2013, when the chief of the East Newark Police Department, Kenneth M. Sheehan, retires after 28 years of honorable and meritorious service to the residents. It is with this bittersweet feeling that we bid farewell to the chief. Of course, we are congratulating him on his retirement but on the other side, we know how much this man will be missed on a day-to-day basis by the mayor, Borough Council and most importantly the residents.
This writer had the honor and pleasure of meeting Chief Sheehan 22 years ago in the borough and we developed a strong rapport and solid relationship through the years both on a professional basis within official capacities and on a personal friendship basis. The chief carried out his duties with the utmost honesty, integrity and knowledge of the myriad regulations but most importantly in a kind, caring manner. And yes, when possible, the Irish wit was an added ingredient that made working with him a pleasure, not a task.
It is to be noted that Chief Sheehan is respected by all the police chiefs in Hudson County and he has also the respect and admiration of the county, state and federal authorities that he has interacted with over the years. He has the respect of the officers under his command and all who work for him state he is a “cop’s cop” standing by them.
We wish Chief Kenneth M. Sheehan and his family all of the best of health and happiness in the years to come and as he makes his last rounds on May 31 we know that he left the Borough of East Newark a safe, secure and wonderful place to live.
Robert B. Knapp
Jersey City
