ABOUT CHIEF MANNA

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Chief Anthony G. Manna was born and raised in Fairfield. He is a graduate of West Essex High School and attended Caldwell College, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice. Prior to joining the police department, he was a member of the Fairfield Fire Department for 10 years. He joined the Fairfield Police Department on January 4, 1985.

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From 1985 until 1988, he served as a patrol officer. From 1989-1991, Deputy Chief Manna served on the West Essex Sheriff's Tactical Narcotics Enforcement Team known as W.E.S.T.N.E.T., a narcotics task force made up of officers from Fairfield, West Caldwell, North Caldwell, Caldwell, Verona, Cedar Grove and the Essex County Sheriff's Department. The task force, which conducted undercover operations throughout Essex County, was responsible for over 250 arrests during their operation.

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​Upon returning from his task force assignment, Chief Manna was assigned to the department's Investigative Division as a detective, serving in that Division for approximately 13 years. During this time period, he also became the department's first Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) officer, teaching classes at the elementary, junior, and senior high school levels and was a member of the Fairfield Municipal Alliance Committee. He was promoted to sergeant in January 1995 and eventually became the Investigative Division commander, responsible for overseeing all criminal investigations for the department.

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​In June 2003, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant at which time he was transferred to the Operations Division where he served as a section lieutenant, responsible for overseeing two patrol squads. He also served as the officer in charge of the department's training, firearms, and honor guard units.

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​In October 2009, he was promoted to the rank of deputy chief and took over as the officer in charge of operations. While on this assignment, he served on the Essex/Union Auto Theft Task Force. In July 2010, Deputy Chief Manna was selected to attend the 242nd Session of the prestigious F.B.I. National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Upon his return, he became the department's public information officer. In May 2014, with the retirement of Chief Charles Voelker, Deputy Chief Manna was named the officer-in-charge of the department by the Fairfield Governing Body. He was appointed as the department’s tenth chief of police on January 4, 2016. 

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He is an active member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police and is on the executive board of the Association of Chiefs of Police of Essex County. He is also a member of PBA Local #81 and of the Italian American Police Society of New Jersey.