MORRIS COUNTY — Captain Stephen Ortiz and Sergeant Janine Buchalski have announced their retirement from the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office. Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, First Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood, and Chief of Detectives Robert McNally honored the outgoing Captain and Sergeant for their outstanding service and expressed their gratitude to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office on their last day.
Captain Ortiz is retiring after 20 years with the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, having joined the agency in August 2004, when he was hired as a Detective. Before joining the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, Captain Ortiz worked as a Sheriff’s Officer in Union County and as a Special Agent in the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation. During his tenure with the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, Captain Ortiz has served in the Financial Crimes, Insurance Fraud, Fire/Environmental, Internal Affairs, Domestic Violence, and Juvenile/Missing Persons units. He has also been a member of the Intelligence Crime Task Force, the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations Task Force, and the Morris County Rapid Deployment Team. He was promoted to the rank of Captain in May 2019.
Sergeant Buchalski is also retiring after 20 years with the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, having first joined the MCPO as a victim advocate in 2004. In 2008, she was promoted to the rank of detective and during that time, assigned to the General Investigations, On-Call Missing Persons, Domestic Violence and the Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Units. In 2012, she joined the Division of Criminal Justice, where she was assigned to the Government Corruption Bureau. In 2015, Sergeant Buchalski joined the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation as a special agent. She returned to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office in 2017, and was assigned to the Professional Standards Unit, where she was promoted to detective supervisor in 2020. She was then promoted to the rank of sergeant in June 2021 of the Professional Standards, Financial and Arson/Environmental Units. She most recently served in the Domestic Violence and Juvenile/Missing Persons units. She is the first female Morris County Prosecutor’s Office fire investigator. Sergeant Buchalski has been recognized by the Morris County Detective’s Association and was a classroom, firearms, defensive tactics and physical training instructor.
Prosecutor Carroll expressed his appreciation and said, “Captain Ortiz and Sergeant Buchalski have been dedicated members of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office for two decades. Capt. Ortiz’s performance and experience in multiple sensitive MCPO units enabled his achieving promotion to the leadership position of Captain of County Detectives. Having begun her law enforcement career serving victims as an advocate, the investigative skills Sergeant Buchalski acquired continue to put victims first through the successful prosecution of numerous cases.
As you both embark on this well-earned next chapter in your lives, I and your colleagues of the MCPO extend our deepest gratitude and admiration to you for your years of exemplary service.”
