County SWAT Leader to Step Down to Focus on Manchester Chief Duties

During a presentation at a recent Lakehurst/Manchester Rotary meeting, Manchester Police Chief Brian Klimakowski said that he is leaving his post as tactical commander of the Ocean County Regional SWAT Team effective Feb. 18.

Klimakowski has held the post, which he said covers 30 of Ocean County's 33 municipalities, since its inception in 2006. Appointed Manchester's chief on Feb. 1, Klimakowski said that holding both positions is too demanding.

"It's a tough thing to leave," he said. "It's a really neat organization. A lot of good camaraderie, you meet a lot of different guys from different agencies and you really build bonds because you spend a lot of time together sitting in the back of a SWAT truck waiting to do jobs, sometimes for hours and hours at a time."

The chief said that 15 municipalities currently send 120 officers to the team, including 12 from Manchester. The breakdown of members is 67 tactical operators, 13 trained snipers and 13 trained negotiators. Officers are required to train three times per month to meet national standards, Klimakowski said.

“It's great training, because the training they get at the regional level they bring back to the other officers,” the chief said.

Ocean County Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford, who has worked with the new chief on the SWAT team, praised his efforts at his .

"He's been a tremendous leader, and that's a regional team that draws officers from all over the county, so he has already engendered a great deal of respect from local law enforcement and I think it's a brilliant decision by Manchester Township to promote this very worthy officer," she said.