The WWP News in conjunction with West Windsor Gives Back, a new community organization, will be running articles throughout 2018 in celebration of the West Windsor Police Department’s 50th anniversary.
Officer Justin Insalaco of the West Windsor Police Department knew at a young age that he wanted to be a police officer. While he admits that at the time he did not understand exactly what police work entailed, he recognized the importance of the job and was drawn to how it can help individuals and strengthen a community.
Insalaco grew up in Jackson Township, where he worked summers as an aquatics supervisor at Hurricane Harbor. A budding entrepreneur, Insalaco started his own clothing business after graduating high school.
While the venture proved successful, Insalaco followed his heart and joined the Ocean County Police Academy. He graduated in 2008 and joined the WWPD in April 2009.
When not on duty, Insalaco devotes his time to a non-profit organization he co-founded called Innovation 4.0. The group teaches kids the leadership and entrepreneurial skills needed in this age of ever-advancing technologies in areas such as robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology and more. The organization partners with the National Police Athletic League and focuses primarily on under-served communities.
In addition to police and non-profit work, Insalaco also pursues creative business ventures. Along with his business partners, he developed an app called Guidant Systems.
A suite of mobile technology solutions, it assists law enforcement agencies in accessing policies and procedures. It also lets them access infrastructure layouts in schools and places of worship—vital information if a critical event occurs there.
The app has been adopted by the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon Force Protection Agency.
Additionally, Insalaco and his partners founded Legemdary (legemdary.com), a reverse auction site that helps engagement ring buyers bypass the retailer and buy directly from the wholesaler at a lower cost.
These entrepreneurial endeavors have landed Insalaco in both Forbes and Entrepreneur magazine. Insalaco is also currently pursuing his Bachelor’s degree from Penn State University.
While he wears many hats, police work and giving back to the community is Insalaco’s first love. Since 2011, Insalaco has spearheaded West Windsor’s annual National Night Out event which raises awareness about police programs and other services within the community.
Insalaco works closely with the town’s Recreation Department as well as Tara Huber of the Station 44 Volunteer Fire Company to produce the event.
* * *
This year National Night Out will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 7 from 6 to 10 p.m. at Community Park.
About 50 local non-profits and businesses will be present to educate the community on their missions and services. A family-friendly event, it will also feature inflatable bounce houses, games, music, food, dance performances and more. Many other community groups, including police, K-9, fire and rescue services, will be represented.
In addition to investing time in planning National Night Out, Insalaco makes sure to attend many other community events. “Being present is an important part of the job,” he says. “It’s not just about traffic tickets and writing reports. It’s really about being part of the community and helping people.”
For more information about West Windsor Gives Back and the 2018 events celebrating the WWPD’s 50th Anniversary, or to donate towards the purchase of a drone for the police department, see WW Gives Back on Facebook, or send an email to wwpd50th@gmail.com.
