I am pleased to announce that Detective James Dunn of the Mt. Olive Police Department has been selected as this Quarters’ Most Valuable Employee.

Jim was selected based on the recent apprehension and arrest of a career criminal who had committed a number of home burglaries and had been reeking havoc on the emotions of those he burglarized. In early November, not only was Mt. Olive hit with two home burglaries, but there were a series of burglaries in Chester, Roxbury, and Byram as well. The total number logged in was ten. The value of all the items stolen was in the thousands. Jim was able to gather evidence at the scene and information from the surrounding towns that led to his execution of successful surveillances and the working of leads to fruition. Just before Christmas, a career burglar and Jim’s main suspect, was apprehended with some of the items taken in our township burglaries. Showing selfless service to Mt. Olive, Jim then took his own time on his day off, to go to the Clark NJ State Police to identify the items.

In addition to that example of stellar Police work, there was an incident, wherein Jim was called out at 11:30pm to assist patrol in an arrest. Wal-Mart was presented with a fraudulent check when a subject tried to purchase a few items. Wal-Mart employees were able to provide a description of the suspects and the car, which patrol then stopped and detained. The suspect was less than cooperative and Jim was on scene to assist. Jim’s superior interview and interrogation skills led to the arrest of 2 known counterfeiters. After obtaining a search warrant for the suspect’s car, thousands of dollars of electrical equipment and merchandise from numerous retail establishments throughout northern New Jersey was found. Jim’s investigation solved 3 open stolen check cases from Piscataway and has the N.J. State Police and the Division of Criminal Justice involved because these subjects had 3 fraudulent New Jersey drivers licenses all in the name of the victims of the stolen checks. These subjects were using the stolen checks with fraudulent licenses in the name of innocent victims, to make fraudulent purchases. We all read what an epidemic identity theft has become, and Jim has put a small dent in it!

Jim has repeatedly shown great initiative in tracking down leads and in gathering evidence. His dedication is second to none and he works tirelessly to solve the cases on his roster. He is an example to all for his effective time management skills. Finally, he is to be congratulated on working well within a team structure, using the collaboration of a group to maximize results.

Please join me in congratulating Jim for a job well done.