[Adopted 2-5-2002 by Ord. No. 02.02[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also superseded former Ch. 51, Police Department, consisting of the following: Art. I, General Provisions, adopted 7-21-1970 by Ord. No. 521, as amended; and Art. II, Special Law Enforcement Officers, adopted 6-5-1991 by Ord. No. 0.5.91.
[Amended 5-4-2004 by Ord. No. 06.04; 2-17-2015 by Ord. No. 02.15; 10-8-2024 by Ord. No. 26.24]
There is hereby created in and for the Borough of Paulsboro a Police Department, which shall consist of a Chief, a Deputy Chief, a Captain, a Lieutenant, and as many Sergeants, Detectives, patrolmen, police clerks, and other civilian personnel as needed and as may be authorized from time to time by resolution of the Borough Council. All qualifications and promotions within the Police Department shall be in accordance with § 51-6 "Qualifications for appointment and promotions" within this chapter. All members of the Police Department shall be appointed by the Mayor and subject to approval and confirmation by the Borough Council.
The Police Department shall preserve the public peace; protect life and property; detect, arrest and prosecute offenders of the laws of New Jersey and the ordinances of the Borough of Paulsboro; direct and control traffic; provide attendance and protection during emergencies; provide appearances in court; cooperate with all other law enforcement agencies; and provide training for the efficiency of its members and officers.
The Borough Council of the Borough of Paulsboro is designated as the appropriate authority as provided in the New Jersey statutes. The appropriate authority shall be responsible for the overall performance of the Police Department. The appropriate authority shall adopt and promulgate rules and regulations for the government of the Police Department and for the discipline of its members.
The Chief of Police shall be the head of the Police Department and shall be directly responsible to the appropriate authority for its efficiency and day-to-day operations. Pursuant to policies established by the appropriate authority, the Chief of Police shall:
A. 
Administer and enforce the rules and regulations of the Police Department and any special emergency directive for the disposition and discipline of the Department and its members and officers;
B. 
Have, exercise and discharge the functions, powers and duties of the Police Department;
C. 
Prescribe the duties and assignments of all members and officers;
D. 
Delegate such authority as may be deemed necessary for the efficient operation of the Police Department to be exercised under the Chief's direction and control; and
E. 
Report at least monthly to the appropriate authority in such form as shall be prescribed on the operation of the Police Department during the preceding month and make such other reports as may be requested by the appropriate authority.
No member or officer of the Police Department shall be suspended, removed, fined or reduced in rank for any cause other than for incapacity, misconduct or disobedience as provided in the New Jersey statutes and the Police Department's rules and regulations.
[Amended 10-8-2024 by Ord. No. 26.24]
A. 
No person shall be appointed to the Police Department who is not qualified as provided in the New Jersey statutes. The appropriate authority may also require that an applicant for appointment to the Police Department shall successfully complete physical, mental and psychological examinations.
B. 
Promotions for Lieutenant and Sergeant.
(1) 
Lieutenant promotional criteria. The following criteria are now established for promotion to the position of Lieutenant:
(a) 
Candidates under consideration who have three or more years' service with the Paulsboro Police Department.
(b) 
Candidates under consideration who have one or more years in the rank of Sergeant.
(c) 
The following grading formula shall be utilized for promotion:
0 — 25% (optional)
Written or oral or both can be decided upon
Written test (New Jersey Association of Chiefs of Police or other independent testing service)
0 — 25% (optional)
Oral test (New Jersey Association of Chiefs of Police or other independent testing service)
0 — 5%
Seniority (one point per year as a Sergeant)
0 — 20%
Chief/Second-in-command (work performance, supervisory ability, etc.)
0 — 25%
Mayor/Council (oral interview)
(2) 
Sergeant promotional criteria. The following criteria are now established for promotion to the position of Sergeant:
(a) 
Candidates under consideration who have three or more years' service within the Paulsboro Police Department.
(b) 
The following grading formula shall be utilized for promotion:
0 — 25% (optional)
Written or oral or both can be decided upon
Written test (New Jersey Association of Chiefs of Police or other independent testing service)
0 — 25% (optional)
Oral test (New Jersey Association of Chiefs of Police or other independent testing service)
0 — 5%
Seniority (one point beginning at 5 years with one additional point per year up to a max of 5 points)
0 — 25%
Chief/Second-in-command (work performance, supervisory ability, etc.)
0 — 25%
Mayor/Council (oral interview)
(3) 
Promotion processes. The following shall serve as a guide and shall be followed during the promotional process for the positions of Lieutenant and/or Sergeant:
(a) 
Mayor and Council to decide each time a promotional process takes place on whether the written test, oral test or both tests will be given.
(b) 
In the event that the New Jersey Association of Chiefs of Police will not be used for testing, the Chief of Police shall consult with the PBA in order to determine what other independent testing service will be considered. The Chief of Police shall then make recommendation to the Mayor and Council based upon that process.
(c) 
In the event only a written or an oral test is performed, the test shall have the full weight of both tests, i.e., if only one test is performed, that test shall be valued at 0-50%.
(d) 
The Mayor and Council members shall then interview the candidates. Questions shall be prepared by the Borough Administrator or Chief of Police and provided to the Mayor and Council at the time of the interview to keep continuity and fairness to the candidates.
(e) 
The candidates shall be interviewed in random order selected by the Borough Administrator or the Borough Clerk. Each candidate shall be asked the same questions as the other candidates participating in the process. In addition, each candidate shall be afforded the same time as others in the process.
(f) 
Mayor and Council members shall score candidates as follows:
[1] 
For Lieutenant's position:
[a] 
Each member of the governing body shall score each candidate between 0 and 25 points with 25 being the highest achievable score.
[b] 
The scores given to each candidate shall be totaled. That number shall then be divided by the number of governing body members that participated in the scoring process in order to achieve the final score from the governing body's process.
[2] 
For Sergeant's position:
[a] 
Each member of the governing body shall score each candidate between 0 and 20 points with 20 being the highest achievable score.
[b] 
The scores given to each candidate shall be totaled. That number shall then be divided by the number of governing body members that participated in the scoring process in order to achieve the final score from the governing body's process.
(g) 
Mayor and Council scores shall then be turned over to the Borough Administrator and Borough Clerk. The Chief of Police shall then turn over the scores from the tests, seniority, and Chief/Second-in-command's scoring. The scores shall be tallied as per the aforementioned values.
(h) 
The Borough Administrator shall then inform the Chief of Police of the total scores accumulated by the candidates. The Chief of Police shall then be provided sufficient time to prepare for and present to Mayor and Council the scores for the candidates as well the recommendation for the position.
(i) 
Mayor and Council shall vote on whom to promote to the position based on the total scores of the candidates and the recommendation of the Chief of Police. Based on the "Rule of Three," Mayor and Council may select any one of the top three candidates, however, selecting a candidate other than the top scoring candidate should only be done in matters where there are sufficient prudent and reasonable grounds to do so. In such cases, the reason shall be provided on the record (executive session) for such deviation.
The Borough Council of the Borough of Paulsboro may appoint from time to time special law enforcement officers in accordance with New Jersey statutes for terms not exceeding one year. Such special law enforcement officers shall possess and exercise all the powers and duties provided by said statutes during their terms of office, but shall not be continued as regular members of the Police Department and shall not be entitled to tenure. The Chief of Police may authorize special law enforcement officers when on duty to exercise the same powers and authority as regular members of the Police Department, including the carrying of firearms and the power to arrest.