Morris County Prosecutor's Office Announces Promotions of Detectives

Published on May 21, 2019

Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp and Acting Chief of Investigations Chris Kimker announce six promotions effective on Monday, May 20, 2019 to fill vacant positions in the Prosecutor's Office created due to retirements.

The following personnel will be promoted and assigned as indicated below:

• Lieutenant Stephen Ortiz to the rank of Captain of the Specialized Crimes Division. Captain Ortiz has been a member of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office since August 2004, when he was hired as a Detective. Prior to joining the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, Captain Ortiz worked as a Sheriff's Officer in Union County and as a Special Agent in the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation. During his tenure with the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, Captain Ortiz has served in the Financial Crimes, Insurance Fraud, Fire/Environmental, and Internal Affairs Units. He has also been a member of the Intelligence Crime Task Force, the US Homeland Security Investigations Task Force, and the Morris County Rapid Deployment Team.

Acting Chief Kimker, Captain Ortiz, and Prosecutor Knapp

• Sergeant Joseph Costello to the rank of Lieutenant of the Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment and Megan's Law Units within the Tactical Division. Lieutenant Costello joined the Morris County Prosecutor's Office as a Detective in 2006, after beginning his career in law enforcement with the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office in 2001. Throughout his career with the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, Lieutenant Costello has been assigned to the Sex Crimes, Fraud, Intelligence, and Special Enforcement Units. He has also served on the Tactical Narcotics Team, the Firearms Training Unit, the Rapid Deployment Team, and the Sheriff's Emergency Response Team. Lieutenant Costello is a NJ Police Training Commission Certified Instructor in over 14 law enforcement and tactical disciplines.

Acting Chief Kimker, Lieutenant Costello, and Prosecutor Knapp

• Detective Michael Puskas to the rank of Sergeant of the Major Crimes Unit within the Tactical Division. Sergeant Puskas has been a member of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office for 5 years. Prior to joining the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, he had 30 years of law enforcement experience as a member of the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, Sussex County Prosecutor's Office, and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). During his tenure with the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, Sergeant Puskas has been assigned to the Fire/Environmental Unit and the Major Crimes Unit in which he has conducted numerous investigations of fires, shootings, bank robberies, and deaths.

Acting Chief Kimker, Sergeant Puskas, and Prosecutor Knapp

• Detective Sasha Gould to the rank of Detective Supervisor of the Major Crimes Unit within the Tactical Division. Detective Supervisor Gould has been a member of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office since 2013. Prior to joining the Morris County Prosecutor's Office as a detective, she worked as a member of the New Jersey Transit Police and served on a robbery and narcotics task force with the Newark Police Department. During her time as a detective with the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, she has worked in the Professional Standards, Financial Crimes, Bias Crimes, Major Crimes, and the Intelligence/Homeland Security Units.

Acting Chief Kimker, Detective Supervisor Gould, and Prosecutor Knapp

• Detective Ramon Lopez to the rank of Detective Supervisor of the Special Enforcement Unit of the Special Operations Division. Detective Supervisor Lopez has been a member of law enforcement for the last 13 years, 4 of them as a Patrol Officer in the New Jersey Human Services Police Department, and the last 9 as a member of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office. During his tenure here, Detective Supervisor Lopez has served in the Special Enforcement, Domestic Violence, General Investigations, and Major Crimes Units. In 2014, Detective Supervisor Lopez was named Officer of the Year by the New Jersey Narcotics Enforcement Officer Association. He also serves as an instructor for the Top Gun and the Undercover Narcotics Investigations Training courses.

• Detective Brad Palatucci to the rank of Detective Supervisor of the Financial Crimes, Insurance Fraud, Professional Standards, Fire/Environmental, and Bias Crimes Units. Detective Supervisor Palatucci's law enforcement career began 14 years ago as a member of the Caldwell Police Department. In his time in Caldwell, he worked as a Patrol Officer, Detective, and Detective Sergeant. Detective Supervisor Palatucci joined the Morris County Prosecutor's Office in 2017 and has worked in the Financial Crimes, Fraud, Insurance Fraud, Fire/Environmental, and the Firearms Units. He is a certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialist, a Trained Arson Investigator, and a Certified Hazmat Technician.

Acting Chief Kimker, Detective Supervisor Palatucci, and Prosecutor Knapp

Following the promotion ceremony, Prosecutor Knapp stated, I am proud to announce the promotion of these exceptional members of our office. Their continued hard work and dedication toward keeping Morris County safe deserves to be recognized. I know they will continue to serve with distinction in their new roles.