Lori Linskey has been sworn in as acting Monmouth County prosecutor, the first woman to hold that title in the history of the office.
Linskey, 57, of Wall Township, was sworn in before state Superior Court Assignment Judge Lisa P. Thornton, sitting in Freehold, in a ceremony on June 2, according to a press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
The oath was administered after Gov. Phil Murphy selected Linskey to become acting prosecutor. Linskey succeeds Christopher J. Gramiccioni, who resigned earlier this month after nearly a decade as prosecutor.
Linskey is the first woman ever to lead the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and become the top law enforcement officer in the county.
Murphy will eventually nominate a permanent successor to Gramiccioni.
“To be the first woman in the history of this office to serve in the prosecutor’s chair is an incredible honor. It is a testament to our state and Monmouth County that bright, qualified women have been able to serve in prestigious positions,” Linskey said, acknowledging Thornton and other county and state officials.
Linskey, a 24-year veteran of law enforcement, has served as Monmouth County First Assistant Prosecutor since 2017. She has also held the positions of Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor and Executive Prosecutor since her arrival in the office in 2013, according to the press release.
“To serve as prosecutor is the culmination of a career that has been singularly focused on prosecutorial leadership and innovation. For me, the position of prosecutor is not a stepping-stone, resume builder, or trophy,” she said.
“I revere the position because I understand its significance and the possibilities that it affords me to lead our office forward at a time of critical importance. The safety and security of all of our residents and the visitors who come to Monmouth County is paramount.
“Our community outreach is more pivotal at this time than ever before; I am engaged, I am listening, and I have never been afraid to have difficult conversations or to look inward to determine what we can do better,” Linskey said.
According to the press release, Linskey has been instrumental in the creation and implementation of the office’s initiatives, including the launch of a Special Needs Registry and Growth Through Opportunity pilot programs, which provides internship opportunities in Monmouth County law enforcement agencies for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, among others.
The acting prosecutor is planning a number of diversity and inclusivity initiatives for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office which she will be announcing soon, according to the press release.
Also on June 2, Thornton swore in Michael J. Wojciechowski as Acting Monmouth County First Assistant Prosecutor and John McCabe as Acting Monmouth County Chief of Detectives.
Wojciechowski, 59, of Freehold, has served more than three decades with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, most recently as deputy first assistant prosecutor.
McCabe, 59, of Middletown, will continue to serve as chief of county detectives, a position he has held since 2017. He also has more than three decades of law enforcement experience.
Thornton also administered oaths to all of the office’s assistant prosecutors and detectives, designating their status as “acting,” which is standard protocol statewide when an acting prosecutor is appointed, according to the press release.
