First Female Officer Appointed To Morris Plains Police Department

By Ejvind Boccolini

Annmarie Ferris is the first female officer in the Morris Plains Police Department and she worked hard to get there.

Education, determination and responsibility allowed her to achieve this milestone.

“It’s pretty exciting,” she said in a phone interview earlier this month, adding that there are not as many female officers around as one might think, even in this day and age.

She graduated in 2013 with a bachelor’s in criminal justice from Centenary College in Hackettstown, and minored in political and governmental affairs. She graduated from Newton High School in 2009, and enjoyed basketball and softball in high school. Her education will now lend itself very well to her new career.

She graduated with a 3.69 GPA from Centenary (cum laude status), and worked as a retail supervisor as she made her way through college. Ferris always made the dean’s list each semester.

Ferris is also furthering the family tradition by earning her way to her present position. The oldest of seven siblings, she has a lot of law enforcement in her family.

Her father was a police lieutenant in Newark, and just recently retired. Her grandfather was a retired police detective also from Newark, and her great-grandfather worked for the Essex County Sheriff’s Office. A younger brother is looking to serve as a police officer in the future and Ferris also has cousins that are police officers.

She said she is now proud to be a part of the Morris Plains Police Department, and added that this department prides itself for not taking in just any individuals.

“Their process is very intense,” she said.

She was sworn in on July 16, and just started at the academy. Before that, Ferris had the opportunity to work with officials in the Morris Plains Police Department by doing ride-alongs, documentation and paperwork, and working with policy and procedure.

Ferris said it was good to get to know some of the individuals in the police department besides just those in the interview process. She officially started with the Morris Plains Police Department on July 1.

Ferris is entering into a department that has a mission statement that speaks about keeping the community safe, preventing crime, encouraging education and improving quality of life.

It notes that, “We will commit our resources in partnership with the community to: improve the quality of life of citizens living, working, or visiting the borough. Engage in crime prevention and public education activities in order to remain responsive to community need and concerns. Promote a safe and secure environment, free from crime and the fear of crime. Practice our core values of integrity, respect, service, fairness, and pride.”

The Morris Plains Police Department also has a vision statement that speaks about integrity and respect at the core.

“We envision a partnership among all people as we strive to keep our community the safest it can be. We are committed to serving our community with honor, courtesy and integrity.  This will enable us to confront any challenges which will lie ahead.”