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Joseph Pasquale

Marker is located on Northeast corner of California and Atlantic Avenues.

Marker text:

1925-1993
An Atlantic City native, Joseph Pasquale joined the Police Department in 1949 and served as Chief of Police from 1984 to 1990. During his tenure as Chief, he focused on the growth of specialized units, including the Bomb and Arson Squads and the K-9 Unit, and began to computerize the Police Department. Chief Pasquale took a leave of absence from the Police Department when he was elected as a City Commissioner in 1980, and served four years as Public Works Director. When forced to retire from the Police Department in 1990, due to age rules, he ran successfully for Councilmember-at-Large. During World War II, Chief Pasquale served in the Pacific Theater in the U.S. Marine Corps and was honorably discharged as a Sergeant after 3 ½ years of combat duty. He belonged to many police, civic and political organizations. He also coached baseball for the Chelsea Little League and basketball for both St. Michael's R.C. Church and the Commodore Athletic Club.

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Additional information:

Joseph Pasquale was proud of the Atlantic City Police Department and the progress he helped it achieve as its Chief. In addition to computerization and improvements to the specialized units, Pasquale also succeeded in updating much of the department's equipment and replacing worn-out patrol cars with new models. The Atlantic City Police Department was also the first in the state to require drug tests, something that was Pasquale's initiative. He believed that Atlantic City's police department was the best in the entire state, and, according to his son James, his years spent as its Chief were his happiest. However, his age-imposed retirement from the position did not slow him down.

During his tenure on City Council, Pasquale was often the deciding voter on issues that it was split on. Former Atlantic City Mayor James Whelan noted Pasquale's "unique ability to combine toughness and humor" in many situations. Even when Council meetings could drag on for hours, Pasquale still had the ability to inject humor into the room.

  For more information, see these resources in the Atlantic City Free Public Library, Atlantic City Heritage Collections:
Atlantic City Press articles
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