New Providence Installs New Police Chief and OEM Coordinator
Theresa Gazaway has been named Chief of Police and Office of Emergency Management Coordinator for the borough of New Providence. She succeeds Anthony Buccelli, who retired on May 1, 2020. Notably, she will be the first female Police Chief in Union County history.
Chief Gazaway began her career in law enforcement after being accepted into the Alternate Route Program at the John H. Stamler Police Academy in July 1995 and was subsequently hired by the New Providence Police Department. Her assignments have included Patrolman, Traffic Safety Officer, Bicycle Officer, DARE Officer, Senior Citizen Liaison, Detective, Patrol Commander and Detective Bureau Commander. Chief Gazaway was promoted to Sergeant in 2006, Lieutenant in 2010 and Captain in 2017. She currently serves as the Accreditation Manager for the department and oversees the day to day operations.
Chief Gazaway graduated from Raritan Valley Community College with an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice. She is a Certified Public Manager; NJ State Chiefs Certified Command Executive, and has a certificate in Public Safety Liability Mitigation from Stockton College. She has served as the President of The Union County DARE Officer’s Association and Vice President of the New Providence P.B.A., Local #132. Chief Gazaway also serves as a staff instructor at the John H. Stamler Police Academy and an assessor for the NJSACOP Accreditation Program.
Chief Gazaway is a long time New Providence resident with deep roots in the community. She and her husband Ron were married and raised their two children in the Borough. She is also a member of the New Providence Lions Club and the Summit Elks.
“We are very excited and proud to have Chief Gazaway leading our Police Department,” said Mayor Al Morgan. “Her experience, along with her enthusiastic leadership, strong relationship building capabilities, and high level of professional standards and accountability will prove to be extremely beneficial to the borough. We congratulate her on this well-deserved achievement.”
