Tinton Falls Detective Cited for Outstanding Service
By GARRETT STASSE
A Tinton Falls detective is being cited for helping crack a multi-million-dollar theft ring.
The department also welcomed two new police officers this week when they were sworn in at the Borough Council meeting.
Det. Christopher Camilleri, working with investigators from Long Branch and elsewhere, helped nab two suspects who later admitted to stealing at least $50,000 worth of construction equipment in Monmouth and Ocean counties. But Chief Gerald Turning said the amount was closer to $2 million, ending a spree that struck construction sites across the state.
Camilleri was cited by the Monmouth and Ocean County Intelligence Bureau, a two-county law enforcement organization that solves crimes that cross the border. According to a letter from Bureau President Det. Patrick Petruzziello, the thieves hit at least 500 sites before being caught last August.
Camilleri earned the bureaus Walter C. Witts Presidents Award for outstanding accomplishment.
He will receive the award at a banquet in Spring Lake on April 16.
Turning said thousands of dollars of equipment was recovered. It could not be traced to its owners so it will be auctioned off and the proceeds divided between the three departments that solved the case. Petruzziello said the equipment was worth $50,000; Turning estimated it at some $200,000. Officers Hired
The department returns to full strength with the swearing in of two officers on Tuesday to replace two who retired.
Joseph Schuler of Toms River, a former special officer in Asbury Park, and Christopher Whalen of Middletown, were sworn in to fill vacancies created when Officers Gary Wade and Gerard Dolan retired.
They were the best of 21 candidates, with Schuler coming out first in the long process.
Schuler holds an Associates degree from Brookdale Community College. Whalen holds a Bachelors degree from Ramapo College. Both paid their own way through the Monmouth County Police Academy. They will begin a 12-week training course on the road then be assigned to the Patrol Division, Turning said. TV Show Coming
The Home and Garden Television network and the Monmouth County Girl Scouts are going to rebuild the departments K-9 training field this weekend, Turning said.
The scouts contacted the department to ask what kind of community service project they might do, and it evolved that the fields facilities would be rebuilt. The network was contacted and some $5,000 in donations was secured.
The K-9 Unit, one of the countys busiest, also hosts units from other departments and puts on displays of its dogs prowess. In one recent incident, a borough dog was used to search for a burglar in Hazlet. The dog traced the suspect to his home, where officers found the man trying to commit suicide by turning on the gas.
The network and scouts will replace the A-frame, boxes for searches, the catwalk and stadium seats. The project should take the weekend, he said.
Turning did not know when the episode would air.
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