Stafford Police Chief Tom Dellane to appear on 'Ask The Chief'

He is tasked with overseeing the safety and security of the residents in Stafford in Southern Ocean County and on Thursday February 27, Stafford Police Chief Tom Dellane will join us for Townsquare Media Jersey Shore's 4th episode of 'Ask The Chief'.

Our 'Ask The Chief' show is an opportunity for Jersey Shore Police Chiefs to join us in the newsroom and answer questions submitted by residents as well as by our news team and discuss current events, safety procedures, community programs and more.

Toms River Police Chief Mitch Little joined us for episode 1 and he was followed by Brick Police Chief James Riccio in episode 2 and Barnegat Police Chief Keith Germain joined us for episode 3.

Chief Dellane will be discussing a variety of topics in our discussion on 'Ask The Chief' and we are taking your question submissions to bring up on the show which will be produced in our newsroom and posted on our Facebook page and YouTube channel following production.

You can ask questions on an issue you see in the community, inquire about any concerns on your mind, ask something that perhaps you didn't know about a police officer and more.

To submit a question or comment before the February 27 show, you can message us on Facebook or email vin.ebenau@townsquaremedia.com and our news team will compile all the questions.

Stay tuned to our page for future episodes of Ask The Chief as well.

Here are some news and notes about Stafford Police and Chief Dellane:

Stafford Township Police have to meet certain physical demands to be on the force and it showed as they won the 2019 'Fittest Police Department' Title beating out West Windsor and Ocean City Police.

The event took place in Manchester Township where Police Chief Lisa Parker said that the challenge is one of the most intense physical competitions and "only high-trained athletes can successfully complete it."

Chief Dellane also helped develop a program that eventually was discussed in Washington D.C. with the idea it would go national.

The "On Point" program is a partnership between Stafford Police and Ocean Mental Health Services to help those in need of counseling after a police response.

"If one of our officers comes in contact with a person they believe could benefit from the service, they'll then make the referral," Chief Dellane said in September of 2016. "Then the social worker will go out and follow that up. The bounds of this program are limitless at this point."

The types of scenarios included in this program are:

Mental health issues, with follow up to include available programs and treatment
Substance abuse issues, with follow up to include available programs and treatment
Economic hardship, with referral to appropriate social services agencies
Isolation, particularly of senior citizens
Health disparities
Family discord, particularly involving juvenile-parent relations

The On Point Program turned into The Mental Health and Public Safety Partnership Act in October of 2018 with the help of then 3rd District Republican Congressman Tom MacArthur, and established a national pilot program to place on-site social workers in qualified police departments around the country, an expanded version of the On P.O.I.N.T. (Proactive Outreach In Needs and Treatment) program established in Stafford Township under the direction of Chief Tom Dellane in September of 2016.

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