Capt. Javier Toro, a longtime resident of Lyndhurst, and commander of the Special Victims Unit of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, has spent the greater part of the last quarter century working to solve some of the more brutal crimes committed in Hudson County.
He is described by his peers as a consummate law enforcement pro, someone who takes his role most seriously, regardless of the case he’s faced with. Now, he is among 250+ law enforcement officers from 20 countries across the globe who recently completed the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy, a 10-week program that focuses on training in advanced communication, leadership and physical fitness, in Quantico, Virginia.
First, some background.
To be accepted to the FBI National Academy, participants must be proven professionals within their respective departments. He easily checks that off.
“Capt. Toro is an exemplary law enforcement officer, committed to public service and criminal justice,” current Acting Hudson County Prosecutor Wayne Mello said. “Completing the FBI National Academy is a remarkable achievement and is reflective of Capt. Toro’s professionalism and distinguished career. On behalf of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, we congratulate Capt. Toro and I am confident the experience he has gained will continue to help us better serve the residents of Hudson County.”
Toro is a graduate of New Jersey City University, and was hired by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office in 2001. Later, he earned a master’s of public administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University. During his HCPO tenure, he has been assigned to the Homicide Unit and previously served as a commander with the Hudson County Rapid Deployment Force. Toro was one of two from the county who completed the prestigious academy this term —Union City Police Department Capt. Walter Laurencio also completed it.
Toro recently sat down with The Observer to talk about his career and his experiences in Quantico.
Remarkably, that career began before he had a college degree.
“I was an HCPO intern in the late 1990s,” Toro said. “I was getting my undergraduate degree at New Jersey City University and was hired in March 2001 to do civilian work.”
In 2002, he went on to the academy and began his work as a detective. In 2004, he and his family settled in Lyndhurst, knowing it was a great place to live — and it was also close enough to Jersey City, where he would often be called to crimes and scenes without much notice.
As a sergeant and lieutenant, he was part of the Special Victims and Homicide units.
Then, in 2021, as a captain, he assumed command of the SVU.
About a decade earlier, however, Toro began to think about and become familiar with the FBI National Academy. Toward the end of 2021, Toro says former Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez enthusiastically endorsed and signed off on him applying to the academy, something not all prosecutors and chiefs are willing to do.
Toro was placed on a list that year, where he waited for four years. Finally, he got the call in 2025 and it was a go for him to head to Northern Virginia in the spring.
He would soon be part of an academy that began in 1935 by the FBI’s inaugural director, J. Edgar Hoover. Hoover designed it to allow law enforcement from all over the world to get some of the best, most advanced training in trends, crime statistics, technology and so much more.
For Toro, while the knowledge gained at the academy was invaluable, so much more was gained.
“The bonds I formed were incredible,” Toro said. “The connections I made I will take with me for the rest of my career.”
Those bonds Toro speaks of include having met police officers from 49 states — all but Vermont — and law enforcement officers from 20 nations, including the United Kingdom, Japan, Saudi Arabia , Germany, Brazil among others.
“That networking was most critical,” Toro said. “I now have 259 new colleagues with incredible bonds I take back with me to the HCPO. And I am now a part of a group of only 57,000 men and women who have (ever) completed the academy in its 90-year history.”
Toward the end of our conversation with Toro, we asked him what he’d say to anyone considering taking the step to apply to the academy.
He didn’t hesitate for a second.
“To any law enforcement officer leader, I’d say ‘do it,’” he said. “This was a highlight of my career, one of the greatest experiences of my life. I am blessed and so thankful for the support I received from (former) Prosecutor Suarez and am now a better officer because of it.”
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served 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 social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, 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 Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.