The Monroe promotion ceremony included new captains Michael Gabbianelli and Kevin Bielski, and new detective/Sgt. Raymond Massey.
The leadership police promotions held in July came with true character.
Mayor Greg Wolfe announced that three Monroe officers moving up the ranks agreed to hold their promotions off a month to attend the St. Mary’s Carnival in June.
“They wanted to be there,” Wolfe said.
But public safety was also on the men’s minds. Last month saw more than a dozen people injured when their plane crashed shortly after departing Cross Keys Airport on July 2.
“Our police department did such a fantastic job led by our chief, who was one of the first people there,” Wolfe recounted.
The promotion ceremony was finally held on July 23 in front of township council. Wolfe swore in the three officers to open leadership positions. Lt. Michael Gabbianelli and Sgt. Kevin Bielski were made captains and officer Raymond Massey a detective sergeant.
“All three of these promotions are all well-deserved,” noted Wolfe, a retired officer who worked with Bielski and Gabbianelli.
Police Chief John McBride thanked the mayor, council and administrators for their continued support. He also shared each officer’s background at the ceremony.
Gabbianelli received a bachelor’s degree from Richard Stockton University. He started his career with the Monroe department in 2003 and spent the first 14 years assigned to patrol division. As a sergeant, he was reassigned to the Community Response Unit, overseeing School Resource Officers (SROs) and all community events.
When promoted to lieutenant, Gabbianelli was reassigned to supervisor of the Traffic Safety Unit and later moved back to patrol to supervise Platoon D. He immersed himself in many aspects of community events and other programs such as Police Explorers, DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), LEAD (Law Enforcement Against Drugs) and various town watch events.
Gabbianelli spent the last 12 years as one of the operators and most recently team leader on the department’s Apartment Tactical Entry Team. He is also president of the Monroe Township Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and spent most of his career on its executive board. He has also been a member of Gloucester County’s Police Awards Committee since 2018.
In his promotion to captain of special operations, Gabbianelli will oversee the Traffic Unit, SROs, the Office of Emergency Management, vehicles, equipment, records unit and community events.
Bielski is a 17-year veteran of the force who began his law-enforcement career in 2008, when he graduated from the New Jersey Department of Corrections Academy. He was immediately hired by the Monroe department and attended the Gloucester County Police Academy, earning an associate’s degree in criminal justice.
Bielski spent the first nine years in the patrol division as a field-training officer, firearms instructor and active shooter instructor. In 2016, he was assigned to the detective bureau to focus on major crimes. In 2022, he was responsible for supervising other detectives in the Major Crimes Unit and further investigating some of “our more serious and complex investigations of the department.”
Beyond investigations, Bielski manages the department’s social media presence, serves as deputy emergency management coordinator for the township and is a certified humane law-enforcement officer.
“The biggest highlight of his career has been serving 11 years on the Gloucester County SWAT team, where he retired as a sniper group leader,” McBride noted of Bielski. “His work in investigations and SWAT has earned him numerous awards and commendations.
“Sgt. Bielski also serves as secretary of FOP Lodge 125 and as founding member of the team’s Monroe Foundation,” the chief added, “which supports charitable organizations and community events such as the Police Unity Tour.”
Bielski has proudly completed the tour six times. He is a long-time resident of Williamstown where he lives with his family.
Massey entered the Monroe force in 2013. He graduated from the Atlantic County Police Academy in 2014, where he received an award for academics. Massey was assigned to the patrol division for the majority of his career, where he had multiple roles as a field training officer, taser operator and member of the Tactical Entry Team.
Massey received multiple awards from the Gloucester County Police Awards Committee for his service. In May 2025, he was reassigned to detective bureau where he took on new responsibilities to further his growth as a detective. As detective sergeant, he will oversee the Major Crimes Unit.
