Retired police chief dies

Brett Alemy, retired police chief of Hardyston, died suddenly Thursday, Jan. 4 in Orlando, Fla. He was 50.

Born in Wayne, he grew up in Stockholm and entered the military after high school.

He joined the Hardyston Police Department in 1998 and rose through the ranks to become chief, retiring in 2020.

Since retirement, he had served as vice president of program development for Law Enforcement Against Drugs and Violence (L.E.A.D.), nonprofit organization committed to protecting young people and communities from the proliferation of drugs, drug-related crimes, peer-to-peer/cyberbullying and violence.

A message on the L.E.A.D. website said, “The L.E.A.D. family is mourning the unexpected passing of our cherished, admired and beloved vice president of program development, Chief Bret Alemy.”

He was participating in a L.E.A.Der Retreat in Orlando when he died.

“The organization is stunned but focused on serving the Alemy family during this horrible time,” the message said.

Alemy is survived by his wife of 30 years, Jo Ann, and three children as well as his parents, brother and sister.