Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, First Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood, and Chief of Detectives Robert McNally announce the hiring of Paul H. Choe as Detective for the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, and the promotion of Paul Brandley to Sergeant, the promotion of Mary Falzarano to Detective Supervisor, and the promotion of Jeffrey Taylor to Detective Supervisor of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.
A formal swearing in ceremony was held on December 4, 2023, and a promotional ceremony was held on December 5, 2023, at the Commissioners Public Meeting Room.
Sergeant Brandley will supervise the Fugitive Unit within the Special Operations Division.
Sergeant Brandley joined the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office in June 2016, after retiring from the Pawtucket Police Department. During his tenure with the MCPO, he has served in the General Investigations Unit, Pre-Trial Services Unit, and Fugitive Unit, and has been a member of the Tactical Narcotics Team, Rapid Deployment Team, Crisis Negotiations Team, and Firearms Training Unit.
After graduating the Rhode Island Municipal Police Academy in 1993, Sergeant Brandley served as a Patrol Officer with the Town of Barrington Police Department and the City of Pawtucket. In 2002, he was promoted to Patrol Sergeant, where he worked in the uniformed division, and was later promoted to Detective Sergeant in 2010, serving as the officer in charge of the Juvenile Crime Division. Two years later, Sergeant Brandley was assigned as the senior Sergeant to the Major Crimes Unit, responsible for overseeing 15 detectives and conducted investigations into homicides, robberies, officer-involved-shootings, and violent crimes.
Throughout his tenure with Pawtucket Police Department, he served thirteen years on SWAT, holding the assignments of explosive breacher, training coordinator, team leader, and team commander. Sergeant Brandley also served as the lead firearms and tactics instructor for the agency, officer in charge of the Defensive Tactics Cadre, member of the Use of Force Review Committee, Pre-Employment Background Investigator, and organized and managed a Gun Task Force, which resulted in the arrests of multiple individuals and recovery of numerous firearms. These investigations developed and were ultimately turned over to the ATF for federal prosecution. Additionally, he spent over two years as an acting Lieutenant and ten months as an Acting Captain.
During his over 30 years in law enforcement, Sergeant Brandley has earned numerous instructor certifications in firearms, tactical operations, and other law enforcement related subjects, and has received several letters of recognition and commendations. He has published several tactical related articles in various law enforcement periodicals, and has graduated from the 226th Session of the FBI National Academy. He has earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and Secondary Education from Merrimack College, a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Ana Maria College, and successfully completed the University of Rhode Island’s State Crime Lab’s Crime Scene Investigator School. Until his recent promotion, he was the President of PBA Local 327.
Det. Supervisor Falzarano will remain assigned to the General Investigations Unit within the Courts & Administration Division.
Det. Supervisor Falzarano began her career at the MCPO in October 1998 as a Support Staff member and has worked her way through the ranks. She was promoted to Prosecutor’s Agent in March 2013, and in July 2014, she was promoted to Detective. She later graduated from the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice Academy in June 2015, where she received the Top Gun award in firearms and mentor/leadership awards.
Det. Supervisor Falzarano has been assigned to the Megan’s Law, Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment, Internet Crimes Against Children and General Investigations units. During her time in the Megan’s Law Unit, Det. Supervisor Falzarano organized, conducted, and led numerous tier three notifications of convicted sex offenders throughout Morris County and other counties. She was responsible for writing and maintaining the Megan’s Law Grant on an annual basis and ensuring the grant money was spent in the most effective and beneficial manner for the MCPO. She was an integral part in the rebuilding of the Megan’s Law Unit to ensure the timeliness of registrations and notification of sex offenders to enhance community safety. In addition, Det. Supervisor Falzarano trained several Morris County police agencies on usage of the sex offender database, Offenderwatch, and oversaw the daily operations of the database and users.
In addition to her regular assignments, Det. Supervisor Falzarano is on-call with the Bias Crimes Unit, the primary Field Training Detective for the General Investigations Unit, and is an Evidence Custodian.
Det. Supervisor Taylor will remain assigned to the Special Enforcement Unit within the Special Operations Division.
Det. Choe will be assigned to the General Investigations Unit and Firearms Returns within the Courts & Administration Division.
Det. Choe started his career in law enforcement as a Sheriff Deputy with the Essex County Sheriff’s Office in May 2015, where he was assigned to patrol parks and assist other municipal police departments for community events. Later that year, he joined the Nutley Police Department as a Class II Special Police Officer assigned to second shift patrol. In February 2016, he joined the Blairstown Township Police Department as an Officer assisting the Detective Bureau and community policing. He was promoted to the rank of Detective of the Blairstown Township Police Department in July 2018, where he investigated theft, sexual assaults, narcotics, fraud, and burglaries, in addition to obtaining subpoenas and executing search warrants.
Det. Choe has earned certifications in a number of law enforcement disciplines covering SWAT, interview techniques, cell phone investigations, sex crimes, narcotics investigations, and firearms.
Prior to his law enforcement career, Det. Choe served as the Purchasing Director/Project Coordinator, Assistant Business Manager/Contracts Administrator, and a demolition and installment contractor for private companies.
Prosecutor Carroll said, “I am proud to promote these accomplished investigators, and welcome Det. Choe to our ranks.”
