Borough Appoints New Police Chief and Police Captain

At the Reorganization Meeting of the Mayor and Council held on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, Mayor Charles J.X. Kahwaty appointed Police Captain Mark McCombs as the next Police Chief for the Borough of Franklin Lakes, and appointed Lieutenant Robert Grassi, as the next Police Captain. With the recent retirement of Police Chief Carmine “Dean” Pezzuti, the Mayor and Council moved forward with promotions to fill the Chief and Captain positions.

Both Chief McCombs and Captain Grassi have raised through the ranks with distinction. At the Reorganization Meeting, retired Franklin Lakes Police Captain Robert Lyon introduced Chief McCombs for the large audience, and Chief McCombs then introduced Captain Grassi. The best way to capture what Chief McCombs and Captain Grassi bring to these positions is to include the remarks by Captain Lyon about Chief McCombs and the remarks by Chief McCombs about Captain Grassi. Below are those remarks (as edited slightly for Buzz article purposes).

 Introduction of Chief Mark McCombs by retired Police Captain Robert Lyon 

Pictured: Police Chief Mark McCombs was sworn in by Mayor Charles J.X. Kahwaty,
with the Chief's family, and retired Captain Robert Lyon.

In April of 2021, Mark McCombs was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, where he served as Commanding Officer of the Patrol Division, which included assignments as:

• The Department's scheduling officer;
• The Department's training officer; and
• The department's Accreditation Manager, where he was in charge of overseeing the agencies first successful re-accreditation process in 2022.

In April of 2022, Mark was promoted to the rank of Captain, where only six months later, he was also assigned as the Officer in Charge of the department, responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the agency. Throughout his distinguished 23 year law enforcement career, Mark has been recognized and awarded countless citations for his actions in the line of duty.

I had the privilege of serving with Mark for 22 years as we came up through the ranks together. When I first met him in 2001, I quickly identified Mark as the competition, and he immediately became the measuring stick that I used to evaluate my own work performance and career. Mark earned my respect, and the respect of his peers, through his exceptional character, work ethic, and discipline. He’s a highly motivated, self-driven individual that just never seems to have an off day.

Mark sets the bar extremely high for himself, and by doing so, he not only sets the standard, but he himself becomes that standard.  Without even knowing, he made each of us better, everyday, by leading from the front, and that’s the definition of a true leader.

Borough Administrator Hart, Mr. Mayor and esteemed members of council, I can assure you that the men and women of the Franklin Lakes Police Department, and the residents of the Borough of Franklin Lakes, are in very capable hands.

“Ordinance Number #48” established the Franklin Lakes Police Department on July 13, 1936. It was originally a part-time police agency that consisted of three officers and one patrol vehicle. It was not until 1950 that Chief Art Pickering was sworn in as the Borough's first full time Police Chief.

Ladies and gentleman, I am extremely honored to be here tonight, and to have the distinct privilege, to be the first to introduce the seventh Chief of Police in the history of the Franklin Lakes Police Department... Chief Mark McCombs.

Introduction of Captain Robert Grassi by Chief Mark McCombs