OC Names New Police Chief

OCEAN CITY – After close to a year serving as acting chief, Jay Prettyman is Ocean City’s new police chief.
He replaced Chief Chad Callahan, whose retirement becomes official Jan. 31. A 25-year veteran of the department, Callahan took time off for treatment for a shoulder injury and recovery last year, Prettyman said. The injury was not sustained in the line of duty.
As of February 2018, Prettyman took over as acting chief. He said Callahan decided to use some of his accrued time, leaving Prettyman in charge of the department.
Prettyman said he and Callahan are close, both started with the department near the same time and moved up through the ranks. He said they established many of the procedures and policies of the department together. He does not expect to see any dramatic changes now that his position is formalized.
“Chad and I started a lot of things together. Right now I feel it’s my position to keep continuing with most of those things that we started,” he said. He said he will work to continue to improve operations.
A priority for his term is likely to be the planning and creation of a new public safety building.
“That’s probably our top priority at this time,” he said. “Our building now is in various stages of disrepair. So, for instance, today when we have a heavy rainstorm, I’m looking forward to not having to put buckets under every window. I’m looking forward to the records staff not having to move everything so that it doesn’t get wet. I’m looking forward to safely transferring prisoners from our patrol cars into our cell block.”
The existing building is more than a century old and once served as a school. It houses the police department, the courts, and social services. Prettyman said contemporary police procedures, including precautions for handling prisoners, could be better implemented in a new building.
Mayor Jay Gillian has said he wants to see a new building in place. In the city’s capital plan, there is $17.5 million for a new building. City documents describe the current Public Safety Building as structurally deficient and incapable of meeting Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood requirements.
But one likely site for the building appears to be off the table.
The city had considered a former car dealership on 16th Street as a potential site for a new public safety building, with City Council approving a $9 million bond to purchase the property, which includes almost a city block. But a petition drive spearheaded by the Fairness In Taxes organization derailed those plans late last year.
Prettyman was a captain for more than 10 years. Speaking with reporters after the City Council vote, he said he has earned the respect of the officers in the department and that it was his turn to take over.
“It’s a bit bittersweet because of the process over the last year, but we’re finally here,” Prettyman said. “I was in the acting spot for 11 months. When you’re in the acting spot sometimes it becomes a little confusing for all involved.”
City Council unanimously backed Gillian’s choice for chief Jan. 24. There was no discussion among council members before the vote, which was included in a list of routine resolutions, but afterward, each member of the governing body publicly congratulated Prettyman and expressed confidence in his success.
Councilman Keith Hartzell praised his professionalism while Councilman Michael DeVlieger said, “Chief Callahan will surely be missed, but you have our every confidence. I’m sure you’re going to knock it out of the park.”
Prettyman worked as a seasonal officer in Ocean City for two years and served two more as an officer in Haddon Heights before returning to Ocean City in 1995 to start as a full-time officer. He worked as a patrolman, in the Traffic Safety Unit, and in the Community-Oriented Policing Unit before being promoted to sergeant of staff services in 2002, patrol lieutenant in 2006, detective lieutenant in 2007 and captain in 2008, according to city spokesman Doug Bergen.
Prettyman holds a master’s degree in public safety from St. Joseph’s University and a bachelor’s degree in law and justice studies from Rowan University. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and an NJ Association of Chiefs of Police certified law enforcement executive.
“Prettyman’s rank, education, experience and exemplary record of service within the department make him the ideal candidate,” Gillian said in a prepared statement. “I’m confident he will continue Ocean City’s proud tradition of public safety.”
In a statement to residents Jan. 25, Gillian also had praise for Callahan.
“Under Chad’s leadership since 2008, the department went beyond day-to-day police work to establish strong relationships with the community, and he was an important part of our senior staff team,” Gillian wrote. “I know Jay shares Chad’s commitment to making our officers part of the fabric of our town, and I look forward to working with him.”
Prettyman lives in Ocean City with his wife, Tiffany, and daughters Phoebe and Chloe.
Prettyman’s salary is still under negotiation, stated Bergen, who said local ordinance caps the range for the position at $160,000 annually.
To contact Bill Barlow, email bbarlow@cmcherald.com.