MaryAnn Cirulli, who three years ago became the first female sergeant in the Barnegat Township Police Department, recently retired after nearly 20 years of service.

“Sgt. Cirulli pioneered our agency’s resiliency program – a progressive program designed to equip officers with the tools they need to cope with the unique stressors of their jobs,” the department posted last week on its Facebook page. “Her foresight allowed BTPD to be on the leading edge of the concept before New Jersey became the first state in the country to mandate resiliency training for all police officers.