Lakehurst Police Department Promotes Special Officer

One of the special officers has been promoted and will be starting his new training assignment tomorrow, according to Chief Eric Higgins.

“Class I Special Officer Timothy McCarthy has been selected to go to the Class II Special Officer Academy,” said the chief. McCarthy has served as a Class I Special Officer with Lakehurst’s police department since 2009.

“As a Class I Special Officer, training is more limited; only about 80 hours, they don’t carry weapons, their powers are limited,” Chief Higgins said.

“After one completes the more extensive training to become a Class II Special Officer, they are then permitted to carry weapons; they have powers of arrest, and handle traffic violations. It’s the next step in Tim’s law enforcement career,” the chief said.

Higgins went on to say that McCarthy begins his Class II Special Officer training tomorrow at the Ocean County Police Academy in Lakewood, and is set to graduate on May 24, 2012.

“Tim is a great officer, and he’ll make a great Class II Special Officer. Lakehurst is lucky to have him,” Higgins said, adding that as of right now, the department has no further plans to increase their number of special officers at the moment.

“Tim is it for right now,” said the chief.

Higgins stated that there are possible plans to hire further full members of the Lakehurst Police Department in 2012, but that such plans are always dependent on having the required room in the municipal budget.

“We try to economize our resources as best we can,” Higgins said, though noting that one officer has been hired at this point.

Officer Jeffrey Emmons, a former Class II Special Officer, will officially be a full-fledged member of the department on New Year’s Day, after his swearing-in ceremony at Lakehurst Borough Hall.