Gov. Christie: Patrick Callahan Will Continue In The Tradition Of Excellence That Has Been Established By Rick Fuentes

Transcript:

Governor Christie: Today, with some measure of regret, but with a great deal of pride, I’m announcing the departure of Colonel Rick Fuentes who has served as our 14^th Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police for the past 14 years. He submitted his retirement notice with my office this morning and it will be effective on November 1^st. I want to thank Rick for serving our state with honor and for his strong leadership through the many challenges we faced. But more importantly on a personal note, there are only a few people that I’ve worked with during my entire career as U.S. Attorney and as Governor, Rick Fuentes is one of them. And I Remember when he was made Colonel of the State, and Superintendent of the State Police when I was U.S. Attorney. It was an extraordinary relief given some of the tumult that was going on in the State Police at that time, to have someone of Rick’s character and his strength and his leadership ability, and we began a partnership then as Federal and State law enforcement to deal with the aftermath of September 11^th, the growing terrorism risks in our state and a number of other problems where the State Police stepped forward with Federal law enforcement, the extraordinary crime issues that were occurring back then in Camden, and any number of things that I could raise at that period of time. So that when I became Governor, it was a relief to me that Rick was here. It was something I looked forward to, in terms of working with him in an entirely different way than I did when I was U.S. Attorney and it has been an honor for me to have him stand with me on these last eight years. So, at the same time I am announcing that Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Callahan will be appointed today as Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. There isn’t a part of the New Jersey State Police that Pat has not had the opportunity to work in and then lead, that when added to his role as an important assistant to his father, during his time when his father was in the State Police, and I heard a number of stories when I talked to Pat about riding in his father’s Troop car as a young person, and his father showing him the example of what it means to be a New Jersey State Trooper leads me to say we are indeed fortune to have Lieutenant Colonel Callahan assume the role of Superintendent. He is an accomplished law enforcement professional who will continue in the tradition of excellence that has been established by Rick Fuentes.

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