|
Public Safety Building |
Internal Affairs Citizen Complaint Form  |
9-1-1 (Emergencies only)
(973) 257-4300
Staff
- Richard Cook, Chief of Police
- Rudy Appelmann, Captain
- Andrew Caggiano, Administrative Lieutenant
- Paula Joy, Confidential Secretary
Your Police Department provides around-the-clock coverage to our 20,000 residents, covering 19 square miles of territory with approximately 110 miles of paved roadway.
Police Department Mission Statement
Police Department Vision and Goals Statements
The police function is separated into three divisions:
Administration
The day-to-day operations of the police department are the responsibility of the Chief of Police. The powers of that position are directly derived through state statute and local ordinance.
The Chief of Police, as a department head, is directly accountable to the Township Administrator. His responsibilities encompass the whole of the police function from delegation of authority and assignments, to serving as the final authority in disciplinary matters, budgeting and departmental policy. The officers under his command derive their police powers from his legislated authority.
Operations Division
Operations involves the every day interactions which are most visible to the public and commonly considered to be the heart of police work. Included are the Patrol Bureau, Detective Bureau and Traffic Bureau.
Patrol Bureau - The uniformed patrol, utilizing marked police vehicles, is the backbone of the force with the task to "Protect and Serve" the residents of, and visitors to, our fair community. This largest complement of officers accomplishes the task through a Township-wide patrol of four sectors. The normal road patrol consists of four uniformed patrol officers and one road sergeant. They are all professionally trained and provide first-responder coverage for our residents and visitors. Patrol officers are the first on the scene to provide emergency medical treatment to the injured through our Emergency Services Unit (ESU), the first to evacuate a burning building and coordinate the fire department response, the first to respond in defense of individuals who fall victim to criminal activity, and the first to become involved with any problem our public may encounter, police or non-police related.
Detective Bureau - The basic function of the Detective Bureau is to conduct plainclothes follow-ups of serious crimes, vice activities, and juvenile matters, and assist to the Patrol Bureau with supplemental investigations. The Detective Bureau also prepares cases for prosecution, collects evidence at crime scenes, interviews and interrogates parties involved in criminal situations, and processes criminal and non-criminal fingerprinting. The Detective Bureau also acts as liaison between this police department, the Courts and all other law enforcement and professional agencies on the local, county, state and federal levels.
The Detective Bureau falls under the authority of the Investigative Division Commander, Lt. Roger Atkinson and currently consists of three full time detectives.
If you have any information which can assist our detectives in a criminal investigation or have any information regarding possible criminal activity, please contact our Detective Bureau at 973-257-4117. All information provided is confidential and you may remain anonymous.
Traffic Bureau - The Traffic Bureau's primary function is to provide traffic-related services to the community in the form of accident investigation, traffic direction and enforcement, traffic flow surveys, school crossing and other special assignments of similar nature. They also supplement the Patrol Bureau by actively patrolling the Township.
Services Division
Less known and less visible but equally important is the support function that provides our public with the necessary services to make life easier and safer through programs, projects, crime prevention and records retention.
The support function of the department is vital to the total operation. Records maintained for public access include incident reports and accident reports. Other documentation involving individuals or their property are retained for legal and insurance purposes. A variety of programs and projects are provided at no cost to the public through the Community Policing Unit.