The Hopewell Township Committee’s search for a police director to head the Hopewell Township Police Department has come to an end with the appointment of Maj. Gen. Robert Karmazin.
Karmazin retired as a U.S. Army major general in October and is also a former New Jersey State Trooper.
A resolution approving the appointment came before the township committee at a Nov. 9 meeting. Mayor Kristin McLaughlin, Deputy Mayor Michael Ruger, Committeeman Kevin Kuchinski, Committeewoman Julie Blake and Committeewoman Courtney Peters-Manning voted “yes” to approve the measure.
Karmazin will officially begin his new position on Nov. 12 and is set to receive an annual salary of $150,000, according to the resolution.
“We decided that we would like to hire a police director who could lead us to what we think is very important, which is involving the public in what our goals would be for our community. We had incredible candidates who stood out, but Robert Karmazin, we are thrilled to have you,” Blake said. “Bob comes to us recently retired as a general and we are pleased that he is here. He will be reaching out to multiple communities and is going to have an open door policy for all of our community members.”
Before he retired, Karmazin served as deputy commander, mobilization and reserve affairs in the U.S. Special Operations Command, headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.
“I am very humbled to take on this responsibility to work in the police department and reach out into the community and build trust and relationships both within the department and within the community,” Karmazin said to the committee and residents during the meeting. “I am incredibly humbled to take on this leadership responsibility and thanks for your hard work and thanks for allowing me to do this.”
Back on Aug. 3, committee members voted unanimously on an ordinance creating the temporary position and would begin the search process shortly thereafter.
“We really look forward to a very productive partnership among yourself, the township committee, the community and of course the police department,” McLaughlin said to Karmazin. “All are critical players in moving our community forward and I really see you as someone who can engage with and bring those voices together.”
The police director does not have any of the powers that are reserved for sworn officers, according to state documents. The powers unavailable for police directors include conducting a motor vehicle stop; stop, detain or arrest individuals; wearing a law enforcement officer uniform; handling any internal investigations or any active cases; and they will not be able to view any videos of active cases.
The establishing of a police director position came after the retirement of former Chief of Police Lance Maloney, who retired officially on Aug. 1. Maloney’s retirement had followed accusations and investigations of improper social media conduct involving township police officers and employees, which came to light in June and centered around a Facebook post referring to the Black Lives Matter movement as a terrorist organization.
This story will be updated.
