Gloucester Township Council held a special ceremony at its March 28 meeting to promote four officers and introduce a new K-9.
Police Chief David Harkins hosted the ceremony, which also recognized the retirement of longtime OEM coordinator Ray Evans. The chief told short stories and anecdotes about each officer, some of whom he has known since before they served together.
“This is such a great joy for me,” he enthused. “So if you see me smiling tonight, it’s because it’s so great to see these people that I work with, who put so much time and effort into this (and) become leaders of this department.
“I can’t put into words (what) great people that they are.”
The first officer promoted was Brian McKendry, who has been in the police department since 1999. He was promoted to the rank of deputy chief.
“I was officer Brian’s training officer,” Harkins recalled. “Things like this start to make me feel old … Brian’s mom and my mom have worked together for many years. Things in this police department run very deep.’
Jason Gittens, a member of the department since 1997, was promoted to the rank of captain and was joined by his family, most notably his father, Bob, a retired township police corporal.
“It’s so special to see Jason here with his son,” the police chief said. “Jason and I graduated high school together and played football at Highland High School. Like I said earlier, this department just runs very deep.”
The final two officers promoted were Paul Fisher and Jason Smith. The former has been with the department since 2006, after he served as a dispatcher. Smith joined the department in 2011, but was a corrections officer years before.
The police department also chose to formally recognize Salvatore DeGrazia after his graduation from the police academy in December 2021. His formal graduation ceremony was canceled because of COVID, but this year, he was joined by his wife and young child. Harkins said DeGrazia is the only police officer he knows who was hired a day before his child was born.
“That stress? I can’t even begin to imagine,” the chief said with a grin. “Having your first baby is enough, but in the police academy? He deserves an award for that, and so does (his wife) Marissa.”
The end of the council meeting saw the swearing-in of K-9 Venus, accompanied by his handler, officer Jim Evans. Venus is a fourth-generation black and tan bloodhound who will assist the department in narcotics and human tracking. She graduated from the Cape May K-9 academy in January.
The police department also honored the retirement of OEM Coordinator Ray Evans, who concluded his service after 11 years. Evans also put in 25 years as a township police officer.
