Crime & Safety

Two New Rookies Join the Hazlet Police Dept.

Edward Schmidt and Joseph Fabian, both of Hazlet, are now in training.

Two new patrolmen have joined the Hazlet Police Department, bringing the township force up to 36.

Edward Schmidt, 23, is a Hazlet native and a graduate of Red Bank Regional and John Jay College of Criminal Justice, as well as the former vice president of the West Keansburg Fire Company. 

Joseph Fabian, 24, has lived in Hazlet since the sixth grade. He graduated from Raritan High School and Jersey City University, where he majored in national security. He is a volunteer coach of the Hazlet Pop Warner Hawks and on the board of trustees of the Hazlet-based RAINE foundation. 

Find out what's happening in Holmdel-Hazletwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The new recruits began in-house training on August 7 and will attend the Cape May County Police Academy. They will be paid $41,606 as academy enrollees, said Hazlet Township Administrator Brian Valentino. 

Their training will continue back in Hazlet, riding alongside field training officers for several months until they cleared to patrol on their own, said Det. Lt. Charles McBride. 

Find out what's happening in Holmdel-Hazletwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Schmidt said joining the force was something he always wanted to do. He hopes one day to be a detective. "I'd like to be out on the street, making arrests, not sitting an office," he said. 

Fabian says he looks forward to being a role model for younger kids, and being helpful to the people in Hazlet. "There's no place better to work than in the town you grew up in," he said. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.