DECESARI SWORN IN AS FRANKLIN TWP (Gloucester County) CHIEF OF POLICE
Op-ed by Franklin Township PoliceMartin J Schwartz for The Sentinel of Gloucester County
(published print edition week of July 20, 2023 Sentinel of Gloucester County Weekly Newspaper)
On July 11, 2023 Franklin Township swore in Matt DeCesari as the department’s eleventh police chief. I have known, or worked with, most of the previous chiefs. A couple of them were in the audience and a few are no longer with us. This is a momentous event in a police officer’s career for the few who attain it. I have attended a few of these events, but this one was unique.
First, I was moved by Chief DeCesari’s remarks to those who were assembled to honor his achievement. Second, I could see and feel the joy and pride in the faces of his family and friends. Lastly, and of great significance, was the realization that a fine police officer and member of this community was appointed to the position of police chief.
The chief remarked about his family’s history of community service to the people of Franklin Township. Matt’s grandfather, Alfred (Alfie), was a leader of this community who was always present no matter the occurrence. I have many memories of Alfie and one that stands out is taking him to witness the homecoming of the USS New Jersey. This was one of the great opportunities of my life. Alfie, a member of the greatest generation, was a WWII Navy combat veteran who served as a plank owner of the USS New Jersey. He also served as chief of the Franklinville Volunteer Fire Department for many years. Matt’s dad, Dana, walked in his father’s footsteps, not only as fire chief, but also as an exhaustive contributing member of this community. Many of us, including the sons and daughters of the greatest generation, feel that we can never eclipse our fathers, but Dana did that. And Matt, the third generation of this storied American family, has big shoes to fill but is likely to outgrown them.
Matt, fighting back tears, talked about how on May 6, 1995, Franklin Township Police Sergeant Ippolito “Lee” Gonzalez was murdered. He talked about the late evening phone call to his dad, Fire Chief DeCesari, which brought the news that one of our officers was shot. He recalled his dad running out the door to serve his community. Other little-known things also happened that day. We lost more officers than Lee. There were other involved officers who, for the rest of their lives, would try to reclaim life as they knew it before May 6, 1995. Some succeeded, but some never did, and they became collateral damage of that murder. Also, amid all that tragedy, Matt, likely affected by the murder, made the decision that night to become a Franklin Township police officer. I was struck by the dichotomy of the remarks and how the tragedy of May 6, 1995, was eclipsed by the accomplishments of the chief standing before us.
The Franklin Township police department evolved from its early beginnings in the 1960’s when the first chief commanded a few volunteer citizens. The department operated out of a shack on Coles Mill Road and hardly resembled a police department. The New Jersey State Police at Malaga supported the new department and mentored it as it grew in those early days. The first professional police executive arrived in 1976, and he led the department to its position as a fully functioning professional agency.
Chief DeCesari remarked that he was proud to accomplish his life’s dream to command the greatest police department in the state. I want the citizens of Franklin Township to know that this man is more than our police chief. He is a member of this community with the police knowledge, skill, and experience necessary to be its chief. Godspeed Chief.
Martin J. Schwartz is a lifelong resident of Franklin Township. He has over 40 years of federal, state, and local law enforcement service and is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force Security Police. An accomplished author of various professional journal articles and a book entitled Policing Is About People, he is a periodic contributor of police and military topics to the Sentinel.
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