Ocean County Sheriff Mike Mastronardy

A team of assessors from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police are scheduling a visit to Ocean County to evaluate the Ocean County Sheriff's Office.

A police dog who was on the scene of an active investigation this afternoon in Mantoloking was injured and is currently receiving treatment for those injuries, but the dog was NOT shot, Ocean County Sheriff Mike Mastronardy tells WOBM News.

Part passionate plea, part confessional, part hope, part determination - attendees in Monday's Townsquare Tonight Town Hall on substance abuse saw the darkest section of the tunnel, and the faint, distant, but reachable, light at the end of it.

"The fire occurred near a pile of household appliances that were being recycled," said Berkeley Township Police Chief Karin DiMichele in a press release. "Preliminary investigation indicates the fire was accidental and occurred while workers were performing their recycling function."

Officers with the Ocean County Sheriff's Department do much more than just serve warrants. They help play a critical role in assisting municipalities, especially during special events.

Ocean County will not consider merging its Corrections and Sheriff's Departments any time soon, despite claims by longtime retiring Jail Warden Theodore J. Hutler Jr. that it could save taxpayers $Two-million-dollars, according to County Administrator Carl Block.