July 24, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 3 Ho-Ho-Kus Chief Wanamaker planning December 1 retirement by Jennifer Crusco Chief John Wanamaker, who has spent the last three decades of his career with the Ho-Ho-Kus Police Depart- ment, has announced that he will retire on Dec. 1. “Thirty-one years is a long time for this type of work,” Wanamaker told Villadom TIMES last week. “I’m look- ing forward to starting a new career in something else.” He did not specify what career path he might pursue. Ho-Ho-Kus Mayor Thomas Randall said, “Chief Wanamaker has been a key member of our department over the years, and has served in a number of important roles as he rose through the ranks to head the department. As chief, he has continued to maintain high morale among the officers and has made the tough decisions necessary to ensure that Ho-Ho-Kus has a professional department which is prepared to deal with future challenges faced by law enforcement. He will be missed.” Wanamaker became chief of police in Ho-Ho-Kus in 2011. Wanamaker, who was named captain in May 2010, became officer in charge of the department on Dec. 1, 2010, one day after Gregory Kallenberg retired from the chief’s post. Wanamaker began his career in Ho-Ho-Kus as a dis- patcher. He later became a patrolman, and served as a ser- geant from 2000 to 2002, when he was promoted to the lieutenant’s post. During Wanamaker’s tenure as chief, he successfully advocated for a Halloween curfew, and promoted the use of social media to disseminate information to the public. As a Ho-Ho-Kus police officer, Wanamaker received two Life-Saving Awards: one for assisting a man who was experiencing cardiac arrest while working out at Wanamaker’s gym, and another for assisting in the armed standoff on Hollywood Avenue in 2009. His file includes numerous commendations, multiple physical fitness awards, the END DWI Award, and letters of gratitude from those he has assisted over the years. Wanamaker was head of the Ho-Ho-Kus Traffic Bureau for approximately 10 years. He also served as the termi- nal access coordinator, handled in-service training for the department’s personnel, scheduled classes for Ho-Ho-Kus Council pursues accreditation grant The Ho-Ho-Kus Council has approved a grant applica- tion to help fund the cost of either state or national accred- itation for the borough’s police department. At press time, borough officials, including Ho-Ho-Kus Police Chief John Wanamaker, planned to meet this week with representatives from the Rogers Group, an agency that conducts departmental evaluations. Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Administrator Don Cirulli explained that the application, which was provided by the Joint Insurance Fund, acts as the application for both the $25,000 grant and the grant agreement. According to the application, the Commission on the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies and the State of New Jersey Association of Chiefs of Police offer accreditation programs. JIF provides grants, not to exceed $25,000, as a means of encouraging police departments to pursue accreditation. The application also states that JIF provides reduced liability insurance premiums to police departments that successfully attain accreditation. In addition, accreditation helps a municipality manage its liability and workers compensation insurance exposure, the document states. The department will have two years from the date of the agreement to achieve accreditation. If the department does not achieve accreditation within that timeframe, the borough would have three years to return the grant funds to JIF. If the municipality decides to leave JIF before the grant is repaid, the entire balance would be due on the date the borough terminated its relationship with JIF. “The municipality understands that the JIF shall not be responsible nor will it commit to provide any additional funding to achieve or maintain said accreditation,” the application states. Ho-Ho-Kus officials decided last month to take another look at accreditation. Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Attorney David Bole advised the governing body in June that he and Ho-Ho-Kus Chief Financial Officer Joseph Citro had (continued on page 15) Mayor Randall (left) with John and Meg Wanamaker. officers who wanted to attend courses at the Law & Public Safety Institute in Mahwah, and scheduled all shifts for the department. Wanamaker is a graduate of Waldwick High School, where he met his wife Meg. The Wanamakers are the par- ents of two sons.