Chief Mieczkowski files retirement papers
Edison police chief could retire by Dec. 1
BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer

George Mieczkowski

EDISON - Edison Police Chief George Mieczkowski has filed his papers for retirement with the state pension office, effective Dec. 1. While it is possible that such paperwork could be reversed beforehand, a spokesman with the New Jersey Treasury Department said that this is unlikely.

"He has indeed filed for retirement effective December 1 of this year. … You can file and then take it back, so it's not definitive, but most people who file intend to retire," said Mark Perkiss, a spokesperson with the Treasury Department.

Calls to Mieczkowski's office were not returned as of press time. Calls to the Edison Policemen's Benevolent Association were also not returned as of press time. Edison Mayor Jun Choi's office declined to comment on the chief's retirement or on possibilities for a replacement.

Mieczkowski is retiring after about two years as chief of police in Edison, having been appointed through former mayor George Spadoro's final act in office. He had been promoted in December 2005 to replace outgoing Chief Edward Costello Jr., who had led the department for 12 years.

Mieczkowski, who officially took over as chief on Dec. 21, 2005, has been on the Edison police force for nearly 35 years. Born in South River in 1947, Mieczkowski has lived in Edison for most of his life, having moved to the township when he was 12 years old. He is an Edison High School alumnus, having graduated in 1965. He is married and has three children.

During his time on the police force, Mieczkowski has served in many different departments, including the narcotics, patrol and traffic safety divisions. When he was selected as chief, Mieczkowski had been patrol commander. In an interview, he had said that the high point of his career was being selected to attend the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., something that only onehalf of 1 percent of all law enforcement officers in the world get to do.

When he became chief, Mieczkowski expressed a desire to improve the department's image and credibility. He had inherited a department that had been recently marred by controversy over alleged assaults from officers, among other incidents. During his tenure, the department came under fire from Edison's Asian Indian community in the summer of 2006, over the arrest and alleged assault either by or of a resident over an illegally parked car. One sign that relations may have improved since then was the use of significant community outreach efforts to apprehend suspects in a series of assaults on people of Asian Indian descent in the Durham Woods apartment complex. It had been noted that witnesses and victims had been hesitant at first to come forward with information, but a pair of meetings eventually convinced some to provide information that allowed for a break in the case.

According to the Edison Police Department's Web site, the two next-highest ranking officers are Deputy Chief Ron Gerba and Deputy Chief Carmelo "Mel" Vaticano. Mieczkowski's son Brian and his brother Ron also serve on the police force.