WEST MILFORD-Lieutenant Paul Costello will become West Milford's fifth Chief of Police on July 1, 2005 following his successful appointment two weeks ago. Costello will be in charge of a police department with a staff of around 50 and acquire the title of Director of Public Safety alongside his chief's ranking. Speaking last week on his appointment Costello said "I'm delighted. I've dedicated my life to police work. It has certainly been the career for me." Costello was born in Passaic and attended Jefferson High School. He moved into West Milford in 1974 and joined the town's police in the same year. He lives in town with his wife Debbie and has two grown children. Throughout his 31 years of service to date Costello has seen the population of the town grow significantly and the size of the police department double. When he began his police career the department had only a full time staff of 25. Costello will replace Chief James Dykstra. Costello had a lot of good things to say about his current boss. "I've a lot of respect for him [Dykstra]. He has given me a lot of support and served as a wonderful role model." Current Chief Dykstra's retirement is the result of a state mandate which requires that officers step down by the age of 65. The four previous police chiefs in West Milford were John Moeller (1949-1971), John "Jack" Ryan (1971-1973), James E. Breslin (1973-2000) and then James Dykstra (2000 to June 2005).