We’ve all heard it before. East Newark is small. Blink while you’re driving through it and you’ll miss it. Etc. Etc. Etc.
Indeed, there is a lot of good happening in the borough now, despite its small stature, yet there is one thing that is certain without doubt: The East Newark Police Department has seen its share of great police leadership. We say this of the penultimate chief, Ken Sheehan.
And now, as Chief Anthony Monteiro bids adieu to the East Newark PD, we take time to thank him for his 20 years of incredible service.
Monteiro worked his way up from a rank and file officer to become chief in an extraordinarily rapid amount of time. In fact, he climbed the proverbial ladder to the very top in just 10 short years, after former Mayor Joseph R. Smith took a chance by appointing Monteiro to that position in 2013.
Monteiro didn’t disappoint in that role one bit.
Over his tenure, he did the nearly impossible, keeping the borough one of the safest in Hudson County. He did this in a place that is geographically a stone’s throw from two major metropolises, in Newark and Jersey City.
He worked diligently to institute the borough’s first-ever Junior Police Academy and now it’s become a community staple. He not only devised the JPA, he was also a very instrumental part of the program that is now so very revered by the graduate cadets and their families.
He was able to do more with less better than any chief of police should ever have to do. He never complained about it. And in doing so, he leaves the borough and the East Newark PD in a much stronger, safer, efficient position than anyone could have dreamed.
It is an absolute shame he leaves after only 20 years of service. But we trust him when he says he knows the timing is right. But we would be remiss if we did not publicly say “Thank you” to Monteiro for his extraordinary contribution to East Newark and its people. The borough is a much better place because of him. He will be missed and hard to replace. And as he moves on to new ventures, we are certain no matter what it is he winds up doing, he will do it as he always has — well, with class and as selflessly as ever.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on Facebook Live, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.