Chief of County Investigators Chris Drelich

Chief of County Investigators Christopher Drelich


On June 30, 2021, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes appointed Christopher E. Drelich to the position of Chief of County Investigators.  Chief Drelich served as Acting Chief since March 9, 2020.

Chief Drelich oversees the day to day administrative and operational functions of the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office investigative staff, in order to fulfill the mission statement of the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office.  

Chief Drelich began his law enforcement career with the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office on February 14, 2000, as a Detective assigned to the Juvenile Unit. He was transferred to the Trial Unit in October 2002, before being transferred to the Intelligence and Counterterrorism Unit in June 2003. In October 2003, he was temporarily reassigned to the Insurance Fraud Unit until January 2004, when he returned to his assignment with the Intelligence and Counterterrorism Unit.

In January 2004, Chief Drelich was assigned to the FBI where he served as a Task Force Officer on the Joint Terrorism Task Force. In January 2005, he was temporarily reassigned to the Special Investigations Unit for a Public Corruption Investigation until June 2005.  Upon completion, he resumed his assignment with the FBI JTTF where he served until October 2009. He was then assigned to the Special Victims Unit where he served until June 2013.  Chief Drelich was transferred to the Homicide Unit where he served until July 2016. He was transferred to the Public Integrity Unit where he served until March 2020. 

Following these assignments and leading up to his appointment as Chief of County Investigators, under the direction of Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, Christopher E. Drelich’s experience at the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office includes:

December 24, 2014 - Promoted to the rank of Detective First Grade while in the Homicide Unit.

December 29, 2017 - Promoted to the rank of Detective/Sergeant of the Public Integrity Unit.

July 22, 2019 - Promoted to the rank of Detective/Lieutenant of the White Collar Crime Division.

Additionally, Chief Drelich is a Firearms Instructor (2013) and Passaic County Conducted Energy Device Instructor (2017).

Chief Drelich was born in Passaic and raised in the City of Clifton. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice (1997) from Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey.