Ryan E. Melsky is a Partner at Gagliardi & Melsky.

Ryan grew up in Hunterdon County. In 1993, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Jersey City State College (now New Jersey City University), where he was recognized as an Eastern College Athletic Conference scholar-athlete. While at Jersey City State College, Ryan interned as a social worker at the Hudson County Correctional Center where he provided services to inmates in need of social services and those suffering from mental illness.

In August 1994, Ryan was hired as a police officer by the Clinton Township Police Department in Hunterdon County. He graduated from the Trenton Police Academy in January 1995 and went on to a distinguished career with the Clinton Township Police Department, having been promoted to both Sergeant and Lieutenant faster than any officer in the department’s history. He was recognized by the Hunterdon County Chiefs of Police Association in 1999 after the capture of a homicide suspect from Los Angeles, CA during a routine traffic stop. In 2013, Ryan secured the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police’s (NJSACOP’s) accreditation for the Clinton Township Police Department, the first form of law enforcement accreditation secured in Hunterdon County.

In May 1999, Ryan earned a Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice (C.U.N.Y.) in Manhattan. In order to receive his Master’s Degree, Ryan volunteered four hundred (400) hours of his time, working with both adults and juveniles suffering from mental illness, personality disorders, and adjustment problems. While at John Jay, Ryan was admitted to Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology.

In 2003, Ryan graduated from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law, where he earned Outstanding Oral Arguments for his student group. He was admitted to the New Jersey Bar later that same year.

In 2004, Ryan’s article ‘Identification With The Aggressor: How Crime Victims Often Cope With Trauma’ was published in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, an international publication. And his 2005 book, Building a Successful Law Enforcement Career: Common Sense Wisdom For The New Officer, is still being sold nation-wide by Looseleaf Law Publications and Blue 360° Media.

Beginning in 2004, Ryan worked as a per diem attorney for several Hunterdon County law firms. He was also a long-time member of the Hunterdon County Bar Association.

In July 2020, Ryan retired from the Clinton Township Police Department after nearly twenty-six (26) years of service and after having served as the department’s Officer-In-Charge for several years. While Officer-In-Charge, Ryan modernized the department’s policies and procedures and also took a strong stance against corruption, wasteful government spending, and improper solicitation of funds by government officials.

In March 2021, Ryan earned his New Jersey Security Officer’s certification (S.O.R.A.) through the New Jersey State Police ‘Private Detective Unit.’