Transcript:

Colonel Rick Fuentes: Governor, thank you, on behalf of my wife and I, thank you for the extraordinary opportunity of being able to lead the State Police during your term, during your administration. And it’s been an honor to serve alongside the thousands of men and women of the Division of State Police who really put their lives and their personal time above themselves to serve the public safety needs of the state. I would sum up my 40 years in probably two sentences. There were days and there were times when I wanted to go home from work early. There was never a single day I can remember when I didn’t want to come to work. So, Governor, congratulations on appointing Pat. He’s an excellent, excellent choice. He has the State Police in his DNA as a result of his father and the great legacy of his father. He has a great family to back him up. So thank you, sir.

Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Callahan: I would echo the Colonel’s remarks in thanking the Governor for the trust and confidence that he has in me to lead an organization that I’ve, ever since I could remember, wanted to just be a part of. I’ve always considered myself a Jersey Trooper, regardless of what I’ve sewn on my sleeves or pinned on my shoulders. I always introduced myself when people asked, “what do you do for a living”, I say I’m a Jersey State Trooper and that will never change just as it hasn’t changed for my dad who, although a retired Major, says I was a Jersey Trooper. So, I am certainly honored, privileged, and extremely humbled to be appointed by the Governor to this position.

Governor Christie: The position of the Superintendent of State Police has never been a political one, shouldn’t be. It’s too important a position, and there’s really not partisanship in my view, in terms of the responsibilities of the Superintended of the State Police. It should be based upon, you know, qualifications, and not anything political at all. The evidence of that is that I maintained the Superintendent of State Police who was appointed by Jim McGreevy and maintained in office by Dick Cody and Jon Corzine. There was never a moment’s thought in my mind of replacing Rick Fuentes, because he had been appointed by a Democratic Governor. I look forward to a very long and distinguished tenure for Pat as Superintendent in the same way that Colonel Fuentes has survived four Governors. No mean feat actually. But it is a testimony to his competence, to his integrity and his trustworthiness and his loyalty to this state. And those are the thigs we should be evaluating these people on, nothing else. So I thank you all for coming today. I congratulate the Callahan family. This is a special day, I’m sure for all of you, and a special day for me, because when you get the opportunity as Governor to put someone who so clearly loves the job, at the head of that job, that’s a good day.

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