[Adopted 10-5-1954 by Ord. No. 369; readopted 8-1-1967 by Ord. No.
476(Ch. 66, Art. I of the 1975 Code)]
[Amended 9-6-1960 by Ord. No. 425; readopted 8-1-1967 by Ord. No.
476; amended 5-5-1970 by Ord. No. 515-70; 12-21-1976 by Ord. No.
605-76; 10-17-2005 by Ord. No. 1322-2005; 9-20-2010 by Ord. No.
1439-2010; 3-20-2017 by Ord. No. 1541-2017]
A.Â
The Police Department of the Borough of Edgewater shall consist of:
one Chief of Police; one Captain; three Lieutenants; six Sergeants;
and 24 patrol officers to preserve the public peace and enforce all
of the laws of the United States, the State of New Jersey and the
Borough of Edgewater.
[Amended 11-13-2017 by Ord. No. 1559-2017]
B.Â
The Mayor and Council of the Borough of Edgewater shall determine
if all such ranks, number of ranks and/or number of patrol officers
are necessary, and the fact that such positions are authorized shall
not mandate the filling of all such positions.
C.Â
The Mayor and Council shall, from time to time, determine the number
of police officers as well as temporary officers and members in an
emergency to be appointed to these positions, and shall further determine
their compensation.
[Amended 3-20-2017 by Ord. No. 1541-2017; 11-13-2017 by Ord. No. 1559-2017]
The Chief of Police shall be the executive officer of the Department,
subject to such rules, regulations and orders as may be prescribed
by the Borough Council, and it shall be his duty to prepare a payroll
biweekly showing the number of employees of the Police Department
and the amount due to each, which payroll shall be submitted to the
Borough Council for certification as to its correctness. Each payroll
shall show and contain the rank of each person, the time for which
each person is entitled for payment and the amount of the payroll,
and it must be certified to by the Chief of Police. The salary of
every member and employee of the Police Department shall be due and
payable biweekly.
[Amended 3-19-1997 by Ord. No. 1091-97; 3-20-2017 by Ord. No. 1541-2017; 11-13-2017 by Ord. No. 1559-2017]
The Borough shall appoint a Chief of Police, who shall have
all of the powers set forth in N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118, and he shall be
directly responsible to the appropriate authority for the efficiency
and routine day-to-day operations thereof. Pursuant to the policies
established by the appropriate authority, he shall:
A.Â
Administer and enforce rules and regulations and special emergency
directives for the disposition and discipline of the force and its
officers and personnel.
B.Â
Have, exercise and discharge the functions, powers and duties of
the force.
C.Â
Prescribe the duties and assignments of all subordinates and other
personnel.
D.Â
Delegate such of his authority as he may deem necessary for the efficient
operation of the force to be exercised under his direction and supervision.
E.Â
Report at least monthly to the appropriate authority in such form
as shall be described by such authority on the operation of the force
during the preceding month and make such other reports as may be requested
by such authority.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 81-3.1, Police Director,
added 3-20-2017 by Ord. No. 1541-2017, which immediately followed
this section, was repealed 11-13-2017 by Ord. No. 1559-2017.
[Amended 5-5-1970 by Ord. No. 515-70; 12-21-1976 by Ord. No.
605-76; 10-17-2005 by Ord. No. 1322-2005; 3-20-2017 by Ord. No. 1541-2017; 11-13-2017 by Ord. No. 1559-2017]
The Captain shall be second in command in the Department. The
Captain shall, in the absence of the Chief of Police, temporarily
or otherwise, perform all the duties of the Chief of Police, subject
to the limitations of N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118. When the Chief of Police
is on duty, the Captain shall perform such other duties as may be
imposed upon him by the Chief of Police pursuant to the aforementioned
statute. In addition, the job description of the Captain's position
as identified in the New Jersey Department of Personnel Job Specifications
is incorporated into the powers and duties of the Captain.
[Amended 5-5-1970 by Ord. No. 515-70; 10-17-2005 by Ord. No.
1322-2005; 3-20-2017 by Ord. No. 1541-2017; 11-13-2017 by Ord. No. 1559-2017]
The Lieutenants shall be next in rank to the Captain. When the
Captain is off duty or is detailed as Acting Chief, the senior Lieutenant,
in terms of length of service as a Lieutenant, shall perform all duties
and assume all responsibilities and functions of the Captain, subject
to the limitations of N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118. When a Captain is on duty,
the Lieutenant shall perform such other duties as may be imposed upon
him by the Chief of Police consistent with the aforementioned statute.
In addition, the job description of the Lieutenant's position as identified
in the New Jersey Department of Personnel Job Specifications is incorporated
into the powers and duties of the Lieutenant.
[Amended 9-6-1960 by Ord. No. 425; readopted 8-1-1967 by Ord. No.
476]
The purpose of the Detective Bureau of the Edgewater Police
Department is to detect, apprehend, arrest and convict offenders against
the law.
[Amended 9-6-1960 by Ord. No. 425; readopted 8-1-1967 by Ord. No.
476; amended 5-5-1970 by Ord. No. 515-70; 3-20-2017 by Ord. No. 1541-2017; 11-13-2017 by Ord.
No. 1559-2017]
Whenever necessary, the Chief of Police shall assign an officer
to be in charge of the Detective Bureau. The term of the assignment
shall be at the discretion of the Chief of Police.
[Amended 9-6-1960 by Ord. No. 425; readopted 8-1-1967 by Ord. No.
476; amended 3-20-2017 by Ord. No. 1541-2017; 11-13-2017 by Ord. No. 1559-2017]
The patrolmen of the Detective Bureau shall be assigned by the
Chief of Police as required.
[Amended 10-17-2005 by Ord. No. 1322-2005; 3-20-2017 by Ord. No. 1541-2017; 11-13-2017 by Ord. No. 1559-2017]
The Sergeant shall be next in rank to the Lieutenant. The Sergeant
on duty shall take responsibility for the shift that is assigned to
him or her. In addition, the Sergeant shall perform such other duties
as may be prescribed by the Chief of Police pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118.
In addition, the job description of the Sergeant's position as identified
in the New Jersey Department of Personnel Job Specifications is incorporated
into the powers and duties of the Sergeants.
[Amended 9-3-1975 by Ord. No. 581-75; 9-20-2010 by Ord. No. 1439-2010]
Each officer and member of the Police Department shall be a
citizen of the United States. He must be of good moral character,
in good health, sound in body and mind and able to read and write
the English language intelligently. No person shall be appointed an
officer or member of the Police Department who has been convicted
of a crime involving moral turpitude which would in the judgment of
the Mayor and Council be prejudicial to the morale of the Department
or who is less than 21 or more than 35 years of age at the time of
his appointment, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:14-127.
The officers and members of the Department shall severally hold
their respective offices and continue in their respective employment
during good behavior, efficiency and residence in the Borough of Edgewater,
unless removed or dismissed for just cause as hereinafter provided.
No person shall be removed from office or employment in the Department
for political reasons or for any other cause than incapacity, misconduct,
nonresidence or disobedience of just rules and regulations established
or which may be established for the Department.
[Amended 3-20-2017 by Ord. No. 1541-2017]
No person, whether officer or member of the Department, shall
be suspended, removed, fined or reduced from office or employment
therein, except after just cause, as hereinabove provided, and then
only after written charge or charges or the cause or causes of complaint
shall have been preferred against such officer or member, signed by
the person or persons making such charge or charges and filed in the
office of the Clerk of the Borough of Edgewater, and after the charge
or charges shall have been publicly examined by the Mayor and Council
upon reasonable notice to the person charged. It is the intent to
give every person against whom a charge or charges for any cause may
be preferred a fair trial upon said charge or charges and every reasonable
opportunity to make his defense. In the event that any officer or
member of the Department shall be suspended pending trial on the charges,
such trial shall commence as provided by law unless such delay is
reasonably requested by or consented to by the officer charged.
[Added 11-10-1997 by Ord. No. 1105-97; 3-20-2017 by Ord. No. 1541-2017; 11-13-2017 by Ord. No. 1559-2017]
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118, the Borough Administrator is
designated as the appropriate authority to whom the Chief of Police
shall be directly responsible and which shall be empowered to adopt
rules and regulations, consistent with this provision, for the government
of the police force.
[Added 8-22-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-014]
Notwithstanding the provisions of § 81-10, or any other section of the Code of the Borough of Edgewater to the contrary, the Mayor and Council may, under the provisions of N.J.S.A. 11A:4-1.3, exempt an applicant from the requirement to take an examination for an entry-level law enforcement position if such applicant has successfully completed a full Basic Course for Police Officers training at a school approved by the New Jersey Police Training Commission.
