City Manager Michael Capabianco has appointed Deputy Chief David Kelso to the role of Chief of Police. A private swearing in will take place with family at the request of Deputy Chief Kelso.
Kelso has a long history with the city of Asbury Park. Born in Neptune, and raised in Asbury Park, Kelso attended Asbury Park High School and the Monmouth County Police Academy. Upon graduating from the Police Academy, he joined the Asbury Park Police Department in March of 1992 and a few months later was assigned to the Patrol Division. Since then, he has been promoted through the ranks and served in a variety of roles within the department, including Sergeant Road Supervisor, Lieutenant assigned as a Watch Commander, Commander of the Detective Bureau, Commander of Patrol Division, and Commander of Administration Division.
Kelso was promoted to Deputy Chief in April 2017, where he was responsible for the day-to-day operations as the chief executive officer. In his role as Chief of Police, Kelso will continue to oversee the day-to-day operations of the department and will assume all the duties and responsibilities associated with the position of Chief of Police.
“We want to thank Deputy Chief Kelso for his continued years of service to Asbury Park, “said Mayor John Moor, “We’re proud of his accomplishments as Deputy Chief and look forward to his successes as Chief of Police.”
“The City Council continues to be proud of the work Deputy Chief Kelso does to make Asbury Park a safer place,” said Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn, “The last Uniform Crime report showed an 11% decrease in reported crimes, thanks to the efforts of Deputy Chief Kelso and his team. They’ve made community outreach a priority which helps keep the APPD visible, educates the public on safety, and encourages open dialogue.”
“As Chief of Police, I’ll be working with the talented men and women in the Asbury Park Police Department to continue to reduce crime in the City,” said Deputy Chief David Kelso, “And we will continue to grow our relationships with area law enforcement including the prosecutor’s office, sheriff’s department, drug enforcement agency, state police and U.S. Marshall in a united effort make our City’s streets safer.”
For more information on the City of Asbury Park, visit www.cityofasburypark.com
