Indian appointed top law prosecutor of US county

An Indian-origin man has been appointed as the top law enforcement officer of Bergen county in the US state of New Jersey, a media report said.

Gurbir Grewal, 42, was sworn in as acting Bergen county prosecutor on Monday. He is the first South Asian prosecutor in the state and the first person of the Sikh religion to occupy one of the highest-profiles in the state, NorthJersey.com reported on Wednesday.

"It is truly an honour and a privilege to join the Bergen county prosecutor's office as the acting county prosecutor," Grewal was quoted as saying.

He said the office of the Bergen county prosecutor in "many real ways sets the standard for other prosecutor's offices throughout the state".

Since 2010, the former federal prosecutor has prosecuted white-collar crimes for the US Attorney's Office in Newark and most recently served as chief of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

Grewal said he hopes to work to build on the reputation of his office and enhance it. "I want to spend my time here just seeing how I can make this an even better place," he said.

Grewal, who "cares deeply" about the county and is "deeply committed to public service", takes over from John L. Molinelli who ended his 14-year tenure in the post last week.

Grewal was nominated for the post by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie two years ago.