Borough of Wood-Ridge, NJ Article III Table of Organization

§ 114-7 Sworn officer personnel structure.

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

A. The Department's sworn police officers shall number no more than 30 and not less than 20, comprised of one Chief, no more than two Captains, no more than six Lieutenants, no more than 12 Sergeants, provided that the total number of Lieutenants and Sergeants is not more than 12 nor less than six, and such number of patrol officers necessary to comply with the head count limits established by this chapter.

B. The exact number of sworn officers in the Department and in each rank shall be at the discretion of the Mayor and Council, subject only to the above limits, except that any officer, regardless of rank, who has filed for retirement with the New Jersey Police and Firemen's Retirement System or who is on medical or terminal leave in anticipation of retiring from the Department shall not be counted, for either head count or rank purposes, in this table of organization. Additionally, deviations from said counts, for either head count or rank or both, may exist for a period of not more than 180 days to provide for transition periods within the Department.

§ 114-8 Organizational structure and supervision.

A. All of the Department's personnel and functions shall be organized and divided into various bureaus, divisions, sections, squads and other such units necessa1y for the Department to operate effectively and efficiently.

B. The Chief of Police shall designate and assign subordinate officers based on their rank, knowledge, skills and performance to serve as supervisory officers of the various units within the Department. Supervisory officers shall be responsible for the day-to-day supervision of the personnel and operations of their unit, shall faithfully exercise the delegated authority of the Chief of Police in performing their assigned duties and responsibilities and shall report through the chain of command to their designated superior officer and to the Chief of Police. Supervisory officers shall include bureau commanders, division commanders, section leaders, squad leaders, assistant squad leaders and tour commanders, all of which shall hold the rank of Sergeant or higher unless otherwise specified by this chapter.

C. The Department shall consist of four (4) bureaus: Administration, Detective, Internal Affairs and Patrol, all of which shall be under the command and control of the Chief of Police. Unless stipulated otherwise by the provisions of this chapter, the Chief of Police shall designate and assign a subordinate officer of the rank of Lieutenant or higher, based on his or her knowledge, skills and performance, to serve as the commanding officer of each bureau. Commanding officers shall be responsible for the day-to-day supervision of the personnel and operations of their bureau, shall faithfully exercise the delegated authority of the Chief of Police in performing their assigned duties and responsibilities and shall report to the Chief of Police as required.

D. The Chief of Police shall designate and schedule, or cause to be scheduled, an officer to serve as the tour commander of each and every patrol tour during the year. Tour commanders, during the time of their assigned tour and/or until relieved by a superior officer or the tour commander of the next tour, shall supervise all personnel assigned to the tour, shall be responsible for the protection of all people and property within the Borough limits, shall serve as incident commander during all emergencies and shall faithfully exercise the delegated authority of the Chief of Police in performing their assigned duties and responsibilities.

§ 114-9 Administration Bureau.

A. The Administration Bureau shall be responsible for the various support functions and services necessary for the effective and efficient operation of the Department.

B. The executive officer of the Department shall be the commanding officer of the Administration Bureau and its personnel. No other sworn officer may be permanently assigned to the Bureau, but the Chief of Police shall detail sworn officers, as necessary, from other bureaus of the Department to perform and/or supervise the functions of the Bureau.

C. The Department personnel permanently assigned to the Administration Bureau shall consist of all of the following: Class III special law enforcement officers, auxiliary police officers, crossing guards, communications operators/dispatchers, clerk-typists, chaplains and any and all other civilian employees.

D. The functions and personnel of the Administration Bureau shall be organized into various divisions and sections, under the supervision of the Bureau's commanding officer, as listed below:

(1) Professional Standards Division

(a) Accreditation and Policy Section.

(b) Personnel Section.

(c) Training Section.

[1] Field training officers.

[2] Firing range officers.

(d) Scheduling Section.

(2) Information Systems Division.

(a) Records Section.

[1] Clerk-typists.

(b) Communications Section.

[1] Communication operators/dispatchers.

(c) Technology Section.

(d) Public Information Section.

[1] Press inquiries.

[2] OPRA requests.

(3) Civil Affairs Division.

(a) School Safety Section.

[1] Class III special law enforcement officers.

(b) Community Safety Section.

[1] Auxiliary police officers.

(c) Pedestrian Safety Section.

[1] Crossing guards.

(d) Spiritual Care Section.

[1] Police chaplains.

(4) Material Resources Division.

(a) Motor Pool Section.

(b) Equipment Section.

(c) Armament Section.

§ 114-10 Detective Bureau.

A. The Detective Bureau shall be responsible for investigating all crimes committed within the Borough, conducting investigations as assigned and cooperating and participating in joint investigations with other police agencies.

B. The Chief of Police shall assign sworn officers to serve as detectives in the Bureau, provided that no more than three officers shall be assigned full-time to the Bureau.

C. The role of "Detective" shall be an assignment, not a rank. All patrol officers assigned as detectives shall use the title "Detective." All other officers assigned as detectives shall use the title "Detective" followed by their rank, i.e., "Detective Lieutenant."

D. The functions and personnel of the Detective Bureau shall be organized into various divisions and sections, under the supervision of the Bureau's commanding officer, as listed below:

(1) Criminal Investigations Division.

(2) Juvenile Division.

(a) D.A.R.E. education officers.

(b) School resource officers.

(3) Data Analysis Division.

(a) Permits and Licensing Section.

[1] Background checks.

(b) Evidence and Property Section.

[1] Discovery response.

[2] Lost and found.

§ 114-11 Internal Affairs Bureau.

A. The Internal Affairs Bureau shall be responsible for conducting all Departmental investigations and investigating all citizen complaints against sworn officers and other personnel of the Department alleging violations of civil rights, federal or state laws, municipal ordinances, directives of the New Jersey State Attorney General and/or Bergen County Prosecutor, rules and regulations of the Department, and/or policies of the Borough.

B. The executive officer of the Department shall be the commanding officer of the Internal Affairs Bureau. No other sworn officer may be permanently assigned to the Bureau, but the Chief of Police shall detail sworn officers, as necessary, from other bureaus of the Department to perform investigations under the supervision of the commanding officer of the Bureau.

C. All work of the Internal Affairs Bureau shall be subject to any and all applicable policies, rules, regulations and directives promulgated by the New Jersey State Attorney General and/or Bergen County Prosecutor.

§ 114-12 Patrol Bureau.

A. The functions and personnel of the Patrol Bureau shall be organized into divisions, the commanders of which shall hold the rank of Lieutenant, under the supervision of the Bureau's commanding officer, as listed below:

(1) Community Policing Division.

(2) Traffic Division.

B. The Patrol Bureau's Community Policing Division shall be responsible for patrolling all streets and property within the Borough limits in an effort to preserve the public peace, protect life and property, detect and arrest criminals, respond to all emergencies, enforce vehicular traffic and parking laws and other municipal ordinances and answer calls for service from the public.

C. The Patrol Bureau's Traffic Division shall be responsible for investigating and preparing reports on all vehicular accidents occurring within the Borough limits; monitoring, reviewing, and making recommendations related to traffic patterns and traffic control signs, devices, ordinances and enforcement; and promoting public awareness of and making recommendations to improve traffic, vehicle, driver, passenger and pedestrian safety.

D. The Chief of Police shall assign all sworn officers of the Department to the Community Policing Division of the Patrol Bureau, except for those officers assigned full time to another bureau. The Chief shall organize the officers of the Division into a number of squads and shall designate a squad leader and, if necessary, an assistant squad leader, respectively, to lead each squad under the supervision of the Division's commander. All squad leaders and assistant squad leaders shall hold the rank of Sergeant or higher.

E. During their assigned tours of duty, officers of the Patrol Bureau's Community Policing Division shall conduct patrols via foot, bicycle, motorcycle, or motor vehicle, as ordered by the Chief of Police, or his or her designee, and shall prepare reports of the various activities and events occurring and the various calls and complaints received.

F. The Chief of Police shall detail officers of the Community Policing Division to perform the duties of the Traffic Division under the supervision of the Division's commander.