Thirty-one year department veteran Anthony Manna has been installed as chief of the Fairfield Police Department.
FAIRFIELD-- The Fairfield Police Department has a new chief.
Department veteran Anthony Manna was sworn in as the 10th chief of the Fairfield Police Chief at a Jan. 4 meeting of the township council as his friends, family members and fellow township officers looked on.
Manna has served as "officer-in-charge" since the May 2014 retirement of former chief Charles Voelker. Manna also served as public information officer.
"Today marks 31 years to the day that I was first sworn in as a police officer in Fairfield, a job I couldn't wait to have," Manna said after taking the oath of office.
"It's comforting for me to know that after all these years, I still feel the same. And yes the dream of one day becoming chief of police and today I've been given the opportunity to realize that dream," he continued.
Manna said his promotion to chief will help establish direction for the department. "We have always demanded the best from our officers and I can tell the people of Fairfield, that is what they will continue to get from us, our best," he said.
Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.