October 30, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 5 Ho-Ho-Kus Police chief delays retirement Towns consider by Jennifer Crusco An unanticipated retirement has caused Ho-Ho-Kus Police Chief John Wanamaker to postpone his retirement. Wanamaker had planned to depart on Dec. 1, however Officer Eugene Schultz recently announced that he also planned to retire on that date. The chief called Schultz’s retirement “sudden and unex- pected,” but said Schultz would be “moving on to the next phase in his life.” He did not offer any additional details. Wanamaker said the departure of three long-time offi- cers – Pete Tiernan, who retired Oct. 1; Schultz, and the chief himself -- would leave the department in a compro- mised position. He said he has decided to stay on in his current position at least through the end of 2014. Wanamaker said he is excited about the prospect of remaining in his post next year as Ho-Ho-Kus. “We will have a fully-staffed police department for the first time since I became chief,” he explained. “Over the last three years, between retirements and injuries, we have not had a full complement of officers.” The chief said he now has two officers in the Law & Public Safety Academy. He anticipates that they will grad- uate in December, begin training, and be ready for work shortly afterward. He said the department has some young, aggressive, sharp officers. With the full staff, he said, “We will have the opportu- nity to do a lot of good things. We will be able to have more training and road coverage and less overtime. The full complement of officers, Wanamaker explained, is a staff of 16, which includes the chief and his officers, and the school resource officer, Sean Leonard, who is working full-time at the Ho-Ho-Kus Public School. When school closes in June, Leonard will return to regular police duties for the summer. Commenting on his deferral, Wanamaker said, “This is best for the town and for the department. I’m looking for- ward to it.” This summer, Wanamaker had indicated his intent to retire. The chief has spent three decades with the depart- ment. At that time, he said he was looking forward to begin- ning a new career in another area, but did not specify what path he might pursue. Wanamaker became chief in 2011. He became captain in 2010, was named officer in charge on Dec. 1, 2010, one day after Gregory Kallenberg retired from the chief’s post. Wanamaker began his career as a dispatcher. He later became a patrolman, and served as a sergeant 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. Wanamaker received Life-Saving Awards 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. See related story on page 8. merger options Ho-Ho-Kus and Midland Park have been discussing the possibility of merging the two boroughs’ construc- tion departments, and the Ho-Ho-Kus Council could approve the shared-service legal agreement at its Nov. 12 combination work/public session. Midland Park’s approval would follow. Last week, the Ho-Ho-Kus Council approved a resolution authorizing Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Attor- ney David Bole to prepare the shared-service legal agreement in conjunction with Midland Park Borough Attorney Robert Regan. According to that resolution, the agreement would be up for “consideration by and approval of the governing body of Ho-Ho-Kus at the mayor and council meeting of Nov. 12, 2013.” A Ho-Ho-Kus official said the merger was being pursued in the interest of economy and efficiency, but declined to provide any detailed information. The Ho-Ho-Kus resolution states that all New Jersey municipalities, particularly those with fewer than 5,000 residents, have been authorized and encour- aged to enter into shared-service agreements. In addi- tion, the resolution notes that the annual Best Practices Survey that is distributed to New Jersey municipalities asks if municipal officials have actively negotiated and (continued on page 8)