Auxiliary Officer Promoted to Sergeant

The following was submitted by the Manchester Police Department:

The volunteer Auxiliary Police Unit of the Manchester Township Police Department added its second Sergeant today in a special ceremony at town hall on May 28.

Auxiliary Officer Lee Olson was sworn in by Mayor Michael Fressola as an Auxiliary Police Sergeant. In attendance was Chief Brian Klimakowski, OEM Coordinator Arthur Abline, several officers as well as Olson’s wife, Peggy.  

This promotion marks the addition of a second Sergeant within the unit. Due to the addition of five new auxiliary officers who joined the ranks earlier this year, Chief Brian Klimakowski opted to add a second Sergeant to the unit.

According to Klimakowski, Olson and Auxiliary Sergeant John Miceli are tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the daily operations and supervision of 10 auxiliary officers.

Olson, a Manchester resident is a tremendous asset to the auxiliary police unit.  In the past 11 months, Olson has logged over 500 hours of volunteer patrol duties throughout the Township and his performance is exceptional. 

Additionally, Olson serves as a Field Training Officer, and prior to his promotion, he had been serving as an acting supervisor within the unit.  Olson, retired after a 46 year career with J.F. Kiely Construction.      

The auxiliary police unit is a 100 percent volunteer unit who acts as the “eyes and ears” of the police department. Some of their responsibilities include routine community patrols, courtroom security, traffic control, and assisting the police department during severe storms and/or mass power outages. 

Prior to hitting the streets, all of the auxiliary officers are required to go through an intense selection and background process before completing a 50 hour training academy. Upon graduation of the training academy, each officer is required to complete a 40 hour field training program where their performance is evaluated by a senior auxiliary officer.