Borough of Wood-Ridge, NJ Article II Chain of Command

§ 114-4 Ranks and seniority.

A. The ranks of the Department's sworn officers, in descending order of superiority from highest to lowest, shall be Chief, Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeant, patrol officer.

B. The seniority of personnel within the Department shall be determined by their date of appointment, with the person with the earliest date of appointment having the most seniority. If date of appointment is identical then seniority shall be determined by the order of appointment, with the person appointed first having the most seniority. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, rank shall always have precedence over seniority in all matters and decisions that rely upon rank and seniority.

C. Unless otherwise designated by the Chief of Police, determination of the superior officer amongst officers of the same rank shall be based on the length of service in rank, with the officer having the longest service time in rank being the superior officer. If officers have the same length of service in rank, determination of the superior officer shall be based on seniority in the department.

§ 114-5 Chief of Police; commanding officer of Department.

A. The Chief of Police shall be the commanding officer of the Department subject to the laws of the State of New Jersey, the ordinances of the Borough of Wood-Ridge, such policies as may be prescribed by the Mayor and Council, such administrative directives as may be prescribed by the Borough Administrator, and such rules, regulations and orders as may be prescribed by the Bergen County Prosecutor and/or New Jersey State Attorney General.

B. The Chief of Police shall report, through the Borough Administrator, to the Mayor and shall be directly responsible, through the Borough Administrator, to the Mayor and Council for the day-to-day operations of the Department, the supervision and discipline of its personnel and the management and maintenance of its property and equipment.

C. The Chief of Police shall have all the powers set forth in N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118 and, subject to the provisions contained in this chapter, shall:

(1) Administer and enforce rules and regulations and special emergency directives for the disposition and discipline of the Department and its personnel.

(2) Have, exercise and discharge the functions, powers and duties of the Department.

(3) Prescribe the duties and assignments of all subordinate personnel.

(4) Delegate authority to subordinate personnel, as the Chief may deem necessary, for the effective and efficient operation of the Department. Said delegated authority shall be exercised under the Chief's direction and supervision.

(5) Report at least monthly to the Borough Administrator in such form as shall be prescribed by the Mayor and Council on the operation of the Department during the preceding month and make such other reports as may be requested by the Mayor and Council.

D. The Chief of Police shall be appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the Council, subject to the regulations of the New Jersey Civil Service Commission and policies and procedures established in this chapter.

E. The terms and policies of employment for the Chief of Police, including compensation, benefits, and standards of conduct, etc., shall be governed by state law, employment contract, Salary Ordinance annually by the Mayor and Council, the Borough of Wood-Ridge Employee Personnel Policy Handbook, and/or Departmental rules and regulations, as applicable.

§ 114-6 Captain; executive officer of Department.

[Amended 2-9-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-1]

A. The officer holding the rank of Captain shall be the executive officer of the Department. The executive officer shall serve as second-in-command of the Department, shall assist the Chief of Police in managing the Department in carrying out its responsibilities and duties and shall perform all duties assigned to him or her by the Chief. In the absence of the Chief, the executive officer shall perform all the duties of the Chief of Police to ensure the effective and efficient operation of the Department.

B. If there is more than one officer holding the rank of Captain, the Chief of Police shall designate one Captain as the executive officer of the Department. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter to the contrary, when there is more than one Captain, both Captains shall serve as Bureau Commanders, as assigned by the Chief of Police, and either Captain may serve as Commander of the Administration Bureau and/or the Internal Affairs Bureau, regardless of which Captain is designated as executive officer.

C. If the rank of Captain is vacant, the Chief of Police shall designate a Lieutenant to serve as acting executive officer, with authority to perform all the duties of the executive officer pursuant to this chapter.