East Hanover Township Swears in First Female Police Officer

It’s been 92 years since the Township of East Hanover founded its police department, and as of August 1, 2022 there is now an added sense of pride.

On that date, at a Township Council meeting, Jessica Goeltz was sworn in by Mayor Joseph Pannullo and the council as the first female police officer in the department’s history.

“I was filled with a lot of pride,” Goeltz says when recalling the evening. “My father and my grandfather were both police officers, and it was something I'd always been familiar with. I knew what it was like to live with a police officer; I knew what it was like growing up with all that going on. And the past few months I had gotten a taste of it, and I love every call I go on, and every person I meet while doing the job. When I finally heard it read out loud and then I said the oath of office, I was just immensely proud that it was solidified. I’m always that person that, if I can't feel it in my hands, it's not really there. To hear it finally read out loud, shake hands, and have it said and done was just the cherry on top that made it real.”

Goeltz graduated as part of the 98th Basic Police Training Class from the Morris County Police Academy on Thursday, June 9, 2022, and worked her first shift the following Monday. “The day I graduated the academy, I was handed my certificate, and I was authorized to be a police officer in the state of New Jersey,” she says. “When I signed my conditional offer to go to the academy back in December, that's when I became a police officer in training. The day I graduated the academy would have been the day I was able to do police work, and Monday the 13th was my first day. From that day on, I was a police officer.”

Goeltz is currently serving on patrol, responding to calls such as accidents and emergencies, and her immediate Supervisor is Matthew Cerrato. “He’s involved in a lot of programs in the department,” Goeltz says, “and I'm looking forward to that. He's going to bring me on this year and introduce me to those projects like ‘Shop with a Cop.’ The department takes children shopping, and we do the toy drive, and there are other programs that not everyone in the community knows about. Officer Cerrato is in charge of a lot of that, so I look forward to working with him on those projects, and possibly going to more classes and having a specialization within department.”

And for those who think that officers just watch the roadways, Goeltz adds, “I would say that 90% of our work is working with the community. Traffic stops do happen, but 90% of our work is day to day calls from people where, from the outside, some people may ask, ‘Why did they call 911?’ or ‘That's not much of an emergency.’ However, in that moment, it's important to us and it's important to them that we're there to see that problem solved.”

Goeltz, 24, who originally hails from Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, credits her dad, Douglas, with being an inspiration to her. “My father is one of the greatest people,” Goeltz states happily. “All around he is a friend of the world, would give his shirt off his back for anyone, and would work 24 hours a day if he could. He’s just an all around, hard working individual, and really set the bar high for what I've always expected and what I expect out of myself as a police officer. I think it's really important, and that's the mold that I believe all police officers should follow. My father is just one of the best down to earth people. He is awesome.” Goeltz also mentions that her mom, in addition to her dad, is also a supporter of her career.

East Hanover Township Police Department Chief of Police, Christopher Cannizzo, adds, “I’m very proud of Jessica as she not only did incredible in the hiring process, but she graduated the police academy and now is serving as the first ever East Hanover Police officer in 92 years.”