MORRIS COUNTY — Sheriff James M. Gannon is pleased to announce the promotions of Detective Captain Walter Rawa, Jr. and Detective Captain Aaron Tomasini. Captain Rawa will oversee the Court Services Division, and Captain Tomasini will oversee the Patrol Division.
Captain Rawa, who is a law enforcement legacy, was hired by the Morris County Sheriff’s Office in 2002. After graduating from the Morris County Police Academy, he was assigned to the Protective Services Division. In 2004, he was transferred to the Warrants Section, where he served as an undercover detective until 2006. In 2006, Walter assisted in starting the Traffic Support Unit and achieved certification as a LASER and a RADAR operator and instructor. In 2007, he was selected for the agency’s Marine Patrol on Lake Hopatcong. In 2011, Captain Rawa was assigned to the Emergency Services/K-9 Unit as a Detective. He trained, handled, and certified multiple canines in explosives, search and rescue, patrol, narcotics, and arson. In 2012, he was appointed the rank of Corporal. Between 2015 and 2018, Captain Rawa worked in Community Outreach & Planning as the Agency Training Coordinator. He was promoted to Detective Lieutenant in 2019.
Captain Rawa is one of the Morris County instructors for the Sheriff’s Office’s Responsible School Violence Prevention, Preparation, and Protection (RSVP-3) program. He has played a critical role in developing and training Morris County law enforcement officers on a standardized response protocol to an active shooter incident. He has also attended and attained local and federal certifications in law enforcement response to an active shooter. He is currently a civilian response instructor in the national Run, Hide, Fight model.
Captain Rawa was a tactical operator with the Morris County Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team for 16 of his 21 years with the Agency. He has been a member of the agency Honor Guard for 19 years and currently serves as its unit commander. He is a certified Police Training Commission Academy Instructor for the State of NJ for firearms and physical conditioning. He has also been certified as a Taser Master Instructor since 2021. In 2022, he assisted the agency with body-worn camera purchasing and implementation.
Captain Tomasini began his career with the Morris County Sheriff’s Office in 2005, where he attended the 66th Basic Police Academy Class. Upon completion, Captain Tomasini has spent most of his career assigned to the Emergency Services Unit, where he performed various roles as a K-9 Handler, K-9 Trainer, Bomb Technician, and Tactical Operator with the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team (SERT). Over the years, Captain Tomasini has worked with many K9 partners, most significantly, Jax, Hydro, Sig, Kiara, and Po. Aaron has gained certifications in multiple disciplines throughout his career, including K-9 Trainer, Supervising K-9 Trainer, Firearms Instructor, Police Rifle Instructor, Project Lifesaver Trainer, Monadnock Expandable Baton Instructor, TASER Master Instructor, FBI-trained Basic Sniper, and FBI Tactical Bomb Technician.
Captain Tomasini is a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan and is currently in his twenty-first (21st) year of service with the New Jersey Army National Guard. He currently maintains the rank of Major and serves as the Battalion Executive Officer for the 2-113th Infantry Battalion, Forty-Fourth (44th) Infantry Brigade Combat Team. He graduated from several Army courses, including Basic Airborne, Pathfinder, Air Assault, Ranger, Infantry Officer Basic, Maneuver Captain’s Career, Combat Advisor, and the Command and General Staff College Common Core.
Academically, Captain Tomasini holds multiple degrees and certificates that include an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the County College of Morris, two Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Psychology and Sociology from Thomas Edison State University, a Master’s Degree in Management from Thomas Edison State University, and an Educational Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Stockton University.
The Morris County Sheriff’s Office recognized these individuals and their accomplishments in a promotional ceremony held in the Historic Courtroom at the Morris County Superior Courthouse on December 29, 2022. Sheriff Gannon started the promotional ceremony with the history of the agency and thanked the families of the newly promoted Captains saying, “Our agency’s success lies in the hands of the family that supports the officers.”
Sheriff Gannon reminded the new Captains to hold themselves to the task and offered suggestions such as “challenging your subordinates, treat officers and the public with honesty and respect, take the good from your past supervisors and treat people the way you want to be treated.”
Sheriff Gannon also said, “These new Captains are the best of the best and have earned the trust and respect of their peers.”
