James Calaski is an active Detective Sergeant with the Glen Rock NJ Police Department where he has served for over 25 years. He completed his undergraduate studies at William Paterson University of New Jersey in 1998. He served with the Glen Rock New Jersey Police Department for over twenty years, receiving numerous awards and citations. He continued his studies and received a Master of Arts degree in History at William Paterson University of New Jersey in May 2013. 

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While researching his thesis topic, the German American Bund, he came across documents regarding a resident of Glen Rock named Carl Schiphorst who lived there during the 1930s. He was a leader of the Bergen County Unit of the Bund as well as the target of a 145 page FBI investigation suspecting Schiphorst of being a Nazi agent. D/Sgt. Calaski has been researching Carl Schiphorst, his investigation, internment, and ultimate repatriation to Germany, a story which illustrates the Nazi threat to America as well as the plight of thousands of German families during WWII. 

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D/Sgt. Calaski first presented his findings to the public in conjunction with the Glen Rock Historical & Preservation Society in April 2015 and has been presenting to Historical Societies, libraries, civic organizations and other groups ever since with very positive reviews. His lecture is always in demand and in 2020 he began presenting virtually due to the pandemic. He is available in person or virtually for groups and sometimes lectures through the Ridgewood Community School, where individuals can register for his class at an individual rate. 

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Due to high demand, he expanded his lecture topics to include The Hindenburg Disaster and an examination of the Charles Lindbergh baby kidnapping, investigation and trial in 2023. He currently has several additional presentations in development. 

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The popularity of his presentations and lectures has led to his involvement in numerous television documentaries where his expertise has been utilized as both a researcher as well as and on screen interviewed historian. He's been involved in numerous independent documentaries as well as documentaries for the American Experience on PBS and the American Führer by Annette Baumeister. 

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As a historian with over 25 years of law enforcement and investigative experience, James Calaski brings a unique and entertaining perspective to historic lectures and examinations of a range of topics that include military, espionage, crimes and genealogy. New presentations are in development and should be available in 2024. 

 

FEEDBACK: 

"James Calaski's gifts as a historian, coupled with his innate skills as a police detective, bring a unique perspective to his work. He is thorough in his research, always going to those places where the facts lead. All that, plus Jim's personable style and good sense of humor make him an ideal presenter for any group event."

– Arnie Bernstein, Author of Swastika Nation 

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"James, thank you for your instrumental and inspiring help during our filming of our upcoming documentary, The American Führer. As we are based in California and Germany, we needed help setting up shooting in New Jersey. Communication with you was smooth, fast and perfect. You understood what pictures we were looking for and were able to organize filming at the Bund camps, including obtaining all the necessary permissions. Your knowledge of the German American Bund and their history is second to none. Thank you for providing our project with archival footage and setting up possible interviewees for the film. And of course, thank you for guiding us through the camp ruins and appearing in our film. Your expertise, both from a historical and research perspective and also in the field, enabled us to capture phenomenal footage for our project during a cramped schedule. And this was all during the COVID pandemic which made our jobs more difficult, however you enabled filming to go off without a hitch. I look forward to our finished film and working with you in the future. "

– Annette Baumeister, Documentary Filmmaker 

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"Jim, thank you very much for your very professional research assistance in cases of my studies about two US Army Air Force servicemen killed in Germany in 1944 and about the service of Hessian soldiers during the American War of Independence. It has been a pleasure working with you on personal searches as well such as your ancestor Emil Hettich, a member of the former German Schutztruppe of Southwest Africa. Always an excellent point of inspiration to talk to you in special personal cases while hunting history!"

- Sven Schepp, Author 

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“Last night James Calaski brought a program on the Lindburgh kidnapping earlier this week, and our patrons are still talking about it. Many people attended due to the subject, but some came just to see him. He was engaging, amiable and informative. We had to end the session early due to closing time, but many people stayed just to talk to him. We will definitely ask him back as his other presentations will draw crowds. Highly recommended and five stars!”

- Debbie Walter, Adult Services Librarian, Union Public Library

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“Mr. Calaski's lecture on the lesser-known German-American Bund, was thrilling and captivating. It is so crazy to think how many folks we had here in the United States that were sympathetic to the Nazi party. As a New Jersey native, it is crazy to see how much of this happened in our backyard. This lecture was extremely informative and rich with photos, videos, newspaper clippings, and more that really tells and shows this story. James's research and explanation on the Schiphorst family's history and Nazi spy ties were excellent. Highly recommend this lecture. We hope to have him back at our organization for others.”

– Austin Myers, Communications Manager, Naval Air Station Wildwood, NJ