Oakland Police Chief Keith Sanzari, Proudly Leading and Serving in "the Community that Raised Me"

When Oakland Police Chief Keith Sanzari was getting ready to go to college in the mid-1990s, many of his friends planned to pursue the popular majors at the time – business or finance.

But Sanzari was not drawn to the idea of sitting at a desk all day. He wanted a career where he could make a difference, serve a community, ideally in his hometown of Oakland.

“I wanted to give back to the community that raised me,” said Sanzari, who was named chief last September, in a recent interview in his office. “I wanted a job that was more interesting than sitting at a desk Monday through Friday, 9 to 5, a job that was more mobile, where I could help people.”

He started out majoring in criminal justice, with a minor in sociology, at Bergen Community College, then went on to get bachelor’s degrees in criminology and sociology at Ramapo College, and continued his studies in 2000 at the New Jersey Police Academy in Sea Girt, earning the Father Robert F. Grady Award, which goes to the graduate with the highest overall academic average.

While in college, Sanzari interned at the Ridgewood Police Department, and later at the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. His studies in law enforcement further sealed his conviction to devote his career to police work. His internships helped him focus his interest on municipal policing.

“They were two completely different types of law enforcement jobs,” he said of working in the prosecutor’s office vs. the Ridgewood Police Department. “The prosecutor’s office is all about investigations, they have investigators and detectives who go out and investigate the bigger things around Bergen County. Not all small municipal departments have the specialization to investigate arson or murders, they get them once in a while.”

In Ridgewood, he saw local policing up close – the more intimate nature of community police work.

“I got a taste of that, and then I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” said Sanzari, who is 42.

He did well in his civil service testing, and hoped to land a job for the few spots open in Bergen County towns, as well as Hawthorne and Wayne.

“I was competing against 300 people,” he said.

But the stars aligned for Sanzari, who needed more than his stellar performance on the exams to get hired. Oakland, as it turns out, had an opening, and Sanzari got sworn in a week after graduating. (He had been a Special Police Officer in Oakland from December, 1998 to December, 1999.)

“It was great timing,” he said. “I was lucky enough to take the test and came out well, Oakland was looking and I was lucky enough to get hired. I was real excited.”

Sanzari was a patrol officer for nearly 10 years, working plenty of nights and weekends and every Christmas Day.

“You miss out on a lot” of family activities “when you’re the young guy in the department, you have to make those sacrifices. Later you can enjoy your holidays, after you put in your time, then it’s somebody else’s turn.”

The son of parents who stressed the value of a good education to him and his older sister, Sanzari pursued his master’s degree at Seton Hall University after a couple of years of being on the force. He earned his master’s degree in human resources training and development through a special program for law enforcement professionals, and received certification in leadership and management.

In 2009, Sanzari was promoted to sergeant, and was in charge of four other officers. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2018, but quickly after became captain and then officer-in-charge, in essence heading the department. In September, 2019, Sanzari officially was named chief.

"I think Oakland residents have a high expectation of the type of officer and the services the police department provides and I expect myself and all officers to meet or exceed those expectations."          Police Chief Keith Sanzari

At his swearing in last September at the borough council meeting, Sanzari spoke of the personal importance to him of being able to serve in the hometown where he grew up. He singled out his wife and young child, who were present for the special occasion.

“My wife Tammy and my son Dane have made big sacrifices for me, the police department and the borough, as the family of all police officers do,” he said. “They know how important my job is. I thank them for that. They have been my biggest fans since day one.”

As leader of the police department, Sanzari, who exudes a low-key but focused and thoughtful demeanor, has launched a community outreach unit –doing such things as “Coffee with a Cop” at local businesses, where the public can stop by and interact with police officers and supervisors--and enhanced engagement with the community through social media, particularly Facebook.

Sanzari often brings up the importance of establishing a rapport with Oakland’s youth. In fact, his early days on the force included being a School Resource Officer at Indian Hills High School.

“I enjoyed working with the kids,” Sanzari said. “The kids at Indian Hills were pretty good, I did a lot of guest teaching in classes. I taught about human rights, search and seizure. And you’re also a mentor, you try to be a positive role model for them. It introduces kids to law enforcement in a positive way.”

One of the programs that forms part of the community outreach unit is “Book with a Cop,” which was developed by Officer Edward McDermott. Officers, dressed in full uniform, visit elementary school classes and read police- and safety-themed books to the children.

“The kids sit on the floor and listen to the officer read the book, it’s great,” Sanzari said.

Sanzari is a visionary, and his goals for the department include not just typical items other agencies might include on their wish-list and proposed budgets, but innovative ideas for lifting the quality of service and deepening ties between the force and the community.

The chief hopes to expand “Coffee with a Cop” to several times a year, and hold it at different locations; have a school resource officer in the middle school (“I think this is a valuable program where the students, school community and the officer will benefit”); develop a bicycle patrol to increase the mobility and presence of police, especially in the downtown area; have the police department be more active on social media; give his officers the opportunity to get training beyond what is already required to take into account their interests and skills they want to learn or improve; keep the department accredited by the New Jersey Association of the Chiefs of Police—a recognition that not all departments have (Oakland was accredited in 2015, and again in 2018, a status that lasts until 2021, when it would have to seek it again), and which is granted after meeting rigorous criteria.

“The ultimate goal of any police chief is to provide the best possible law enforcement services to the community they serve,” he said. “I need to provide and send out compassionate, knowledgeable, understanding and professional officers who have the necessary skills and equipment to do the job.”

“I think Oakland residents have a high expectation of the type of officer and the services the police department provides and I expect myself and all officers to meet or exceed those expectations,” Sanzari said. “I try to provide officers with everything they need to do their job well. By accomplishing this, the officer will have more job satisfaction. This will allow the officer to provide a higher level of service and be observed as being professional, knowledgeable and committed to their job and their community.”

All told, Sanzari wants to keep the police department firmly ensconced in the community – there to protect, to serve, to help.

“We’re basically asked to do everything,” he said. “We never tell people ‘We don’t do that.’ That’s the kind of police department we are. People fall out of bed, we go to help them get back up. I want people to know that we’re here to help, to keep you safe—it’s our No. 1 priority. Our doors are open 24/7, 365 days a year for everything you need, big or small.”