Wayne selects next chief of police. See who will lead the 126-officer force
WAYNE — Detective Capt. Joseph Rooney was named on Wednesday to be the township's next chief of police, the mayor said.
Rooney, 39, a native of Randolph and a resident of Hackettstown, was selected from a pool of four impressive candidates, Mayor Christopher Vergano announced in a letter to township employees.
He will serve as the deputy chief until outgoing Police Chief John McNiff exhausts his accrued days off early next year, the mayor said.
“I am confident,” Vergano wrote, “that Deputy Chief Rooney and his executive staff will lead by example the 126 men and women who proudly wear the badge of the Wayne Police Department. I thank all of you for all that you do to keep our community a safe place to live, work and raise a family.”
Rooney joined the police force in December 2008 following stints in Washington Township in Morris County and in Wildwood. He has overseen its internal affairs division since his last promotion in September 2022.
Before that assignment, Rooney was a lieutenant in the traffic bureau. He graduated with honors from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, part of The City University of New York, in Manhattan.
Vergano announced two weeks ago that McNiff, 48, planned to retire and relocate with his family. He held the position for more than four years.
The township administration then interviewed Rooney and three other veteran officers: Detective Capt. Daniel Daly; Detective Capt. Jason Goller; and McNiff’s brother, Capt. Michael McNiff.
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“Their interviews and knowledge concerning this department made this decision extremely difficult,” Vergano wrote in the memo to personnel.
Rooney and his wife, Sarah Rooney, a fifth-grade teacher in the Long Valley section of Washington Township, have three children.
Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: devencentis@northjersey.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Wayne NJ selects Joseph Rooney as next chief of police
