NOTES ON PEOPLE (11/21/04)

NOTES ON PEOPLE

Veteran police chief "retires" in Florida

OAK HILL, Fla. - Walter Zalisko, a dedicated and decorated police commander who enjoyed working the streets in high-crime areas has retired from the Jersey City Police Department. Mr. Zalisko, 48, a veteran of 28 1/2 years in law enforcement retired on July 31.

The following day he was sworn in as the new police chief for the City of Oak Hill in Florida.

Mr. Zalisko worked his way up through the ranks and was responsible for many high-profile investigations. He is also founder and president of PMC International - an international police management consulting firm. He served as a member on New Jersey Gov. Christine Whitman's Criminal Justice Advisory Panel and Ethnic Advisory Council, and as deputy chairman of the Governor's Transition Committee.

Mr. Zalisko is an authority on Russian Organized Crime and has investigated Russian crime syndicates throughout New Jersey and New York. He has presented evidence to the U.S. Congress on Russian organized crime and the trafficking of women. He consults to and appears on investigative television programs such as: "America's Most Wanted," "Dateline," MSNBC and UPN 9 "Investigative Reports." His articles appear in magazines such as Law and Order, Law Enforcement Technology, Police Magazine and Reader's Digest, and he has presented numerous lectures and public presentations.

Mr. Zalisko has a degree in criminal justice, attended FBI executive management sessions, and is a certified questioned document examiner and hostage negotiator.

He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly citations in recognition of law enforcement service.

Mr. Zalisko and his wife, Patricia, moved to Port Orange, Fla., which is outside of Daytona Beach. Mr. Zalisko said, "This part of Florida is beautiful and it is starting to see a large number of Ukrainian Americans."

Mr. Zalisko was chosen for the police chief position after a nationwide search was conducted. The 24 original applicants were whittled down to the top five by a special citizens' review board. Vice Mayor Frank Piatchek said, "I had my choices picked out from the resumes, but completely changed my mind after talking with Mr. Zalisko."

Although Chief Zalisko thought his transition into semi-retirement and his new job would be smooth, that was not the case. One week after he was sworn in as chief of police, parts of Florida, including the city of Oak Hill, were hit by Hurricane Charlie. While recovering from Hurricane Charlie, the area was hit by Hurricane Frances two weeks later. This hurricane caused significantly more damage in the city and surrounding area. And if that wasn't enough, on September 24 Hurricane Jeanne roared through.

One of the top priorities for Chief Zalisko is to build a new public safety headquarters for the police department and to expand the community policing programs.

Approximately three weeks after arriving in Florida, Chief Zalisko received a surprise telephone call from a friend he has not seen for over 25 years. George Lemsky, a police lieutenant in neighboring City of Oviedo contacted him after seeing his name in the local newspapers. Chief Zalisko said, "That was a pleasant surprise and I look forward to seeing George."

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