Sheriff announces three promotions

NEWTON — Three promotions were named withink the Bureau of Law Enforcement, county Sheriff Michael Strada announced.
Lt. Lawrence Beller was promoted to captain.
Beller has been a member of the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office since 1995. In 2005, he was promoted to sergeant and assigned to supervise the Courthouse Security and Prisoner Transportation Unit. In 2010, he was promoted to lieutenant and assigned to oversee the supervision of the Courthouse Unit. Following his promotion, Captain Beller has been assigned to oversee the daily operations of the Bureau of Law Enforcement.
In addition to being awarded several honors throughout his career, Captain Beller received the Sheriff’s Lifesaving Award in 2011 for his rapid and successful response during a medical emergency at the Sussex County Fair.
Beller is a graduate of the 61st Middlesex County Police Academy Basic Police Class and the United States Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Leadership and Supervision Course.
Sgt. Derek Nerlinger has been promoted to Lieutenant. A 1993 graduate of Sparta High School, a United States Army Veteran, and a 15 year veteran of the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office, Nerlinger began his law enforcement career in 2000 when he was hired as a Federal Corrections Officer by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The following year, he accepted a position as a sheriff’s officer in the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office. In 2008, he was promoted to Sergeant and assigned to supervise the Courthouse Security & Prisoner Transportation Unit.
A recipient of the United States Armed Forces Ribbon as well as the Hurricane Irene Service Ribbon, Nerlinger is also graduate of the Bergen County Law and Public Safety Institute’s 87th Basic Police Class, the United States Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Leadership and Supervision Course, and the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey School of Graduate and Continuing Studies Front Line Supervision Program.
Following his promotion, Nerlinger has been assigned to oversee the supervision of the Courthouse Security & Prisoner Transportation Unit.
Corporal Michael Yanko, a 21-year-veteran of the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office and a United States Marine Corps veteran of Operation Desert Storm, has been promoted to sergeant. He began his career serving in the Courts and Transportations unit. He was then assigned to Community Policing/Civil Process unit. His next assignment was as a detective in the Warrant Unit. Yanko served in the Warrant Unit for 13 years. During his assignment in the Warrant Unit, Sergeant Yanko cleared over 9,000 arrest warrants. He also served in the Sheriff’s Tactical Response Unit (TRU). For the past three years, Yanko has been assigned to the Sheriff’s Home Detention Program.
Sergeant Yanko is a two-time recipient of the Sheriff’s Achievement Award, Hurricane Irene Service Ribbon and United States Armed Forces Ribbon. He has also received numerous letters of commendations throughout his career. Sgt. Yanko is a graduate of the Morris County Police Academy.