[Adopted 1-23-1962 by Ord. No. 524]
[Amended 11-24-1964 by Ord. No. 563; 8-3-1965 by Ord. No. 573; 6-13-1974 by Ord. No. 710; 2-23-1978 by Ord. No. 761; 6-12-1980 by Ord. No. 802; 1-8-1981 by Ord. No. 822; 3-26-1987 by Ord. No. 945; 11-26-1996 by Ord. No. 1136; 2-12-2004 by Ord. No. 1314; 12-28-2006 by Ord. No. 1406; 3-8-2008 by Ord. No. 1435; 10-10-2008 by Ord. No.
1450; 7-1-2014 by Ord. No. 1572-14; 3-12-2015 by Ord. No. 1589-15]
A. Composition.
(1) The Police Department of the Township of Saddle Brook shall consist
of one Chief of Police, up to three Captains of Police, up to five
Lieutenants of Police, up to six Sergeants of Police, and the remainder
consisting of patrolmen, total members of the Department not to exceed
34, and special police and such other employees as the appropriate
authority may from time to time appoint.
[Amended 12-28-2017 by Ord. No. 1638-17]
(2) The positions set forth herein are intended to be a maximum number
of positions. Nothing contained in this section shall require the
appropriate authority to fill each position to the maximum, as same
shall be left to the discretion of the appropriate authority.
B. The Detective Bureau, as an integral part of the Police Department
of the Township of Saddle Brook, is hereby established, to which police
from the Police Department shall be assigned as hereinafter provided.
C. The term "appropriate authority" as used in Subsection
A and elsewhere in this chapter means the Mayor.
[Amended 3-14-1974 by Ord. No. 706]
A. All appointments and promotions shall be chosen from
a list submitted by the Department of Personnel, Saddle Brook, New
Jersey, after competitive examination and with special reference to
the fitness of the person before any permanent appointments are to
be made. Those desiring to be appointed shall be required to submit
themselves to such an examination as may be required by the Chief
of Police.
[Amended 11-26-1996 by Ord. No. 1136]
B. All promotions shall be made by the Chief of Police
as above set forth; provided, however, that no member of this Police
Department may be promoted to a rank which is more than one grade
higher than the position held by him at the time of such promotion.
[Amended 11-26-1996 by Ord. No. 1136]
C. All patrolmen must have five years in grade and service
on the Police Department prior to said patrolmen's being eligible
for promotion to the rank of Sergeant.
[Added 3-14-1974 by Ord. No. 706]
D. Civil service listings will be solicited from Bergen,
Essex, Passaic and Hudson Counties.
[Added 7-10-2003 by Ord. No. 1284-03; amended 9-11-2003 by Ord. No. 1291]
[Amended 3-14-1974 by Ord. No. 706; 11-26-1996 by Ord. No. 1136]
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 appropriate authority.
[Amended 3-14-1974 by Ord. No. 706; 3-26-1987 by Ord. No. 945; 11-26-1996 by Ord. No.
1136]
The Chief of Police shall be the head of the
Police Department and shall be directly responsible to the appropriate
authority for the efficiency and routine day-to-day operations thereof
and shall pursuant to policies established by the appropriate authority:
A. Administer and enforce rules and regulations and special
emergency directives for the disposition and discipline of the force
and its officers and personnel.
B. Have, exercise and discharge the functions, powers
and duties of the police force.
C. Prescribe the duties and assignments of all subordinates
and other personnel.
D. Delegate such authority as deemed necessary for the
efficient operation of the force to be exercised under his direction
and supervision.
E. Report at least monthly to the appropriate authority
in such form as shall be prescribe 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.
[Amended 3-26-1987 by Ord. No. 945]
A. To be eligible for appointment in the Police Department,
a man must be not less than 18 years of age nor more than 30 years
of age; a resident of the State of New Jersey; a citizen of the United
States; of good moral character and able to read and write the English
language understandingly. He must be at least five feet seven inches
and weigh not less than 140 pounds. He shall be in good health, sound
in body and mind and physically capable of performing the duties required
of him.
B. All officers and employees of the Police Department
of the Township of Saddle Brook appointed by the Township after the
adoption and final passage of this subsection as provided by law are
hereby required as a condition of their employment to be bona fide
residents within the Township of Saddle Brook. A "bona fide resident"
for the purpose of this subsection is a person having a permanent
domicile within the Township of Saddle Brook and one which has not
been adopted with the intention of again taking up or claiming a previous
residence acquired outside the Township of Saddle Brook. Failure of
any officer or employee to comply with this subsection or to submit
satisfactory proof to the head of the Department of Public Safety
or to the Chief of Police shall constitute cause for removal or discharge
from the Police Department.
[Added 9-10-1981 by Ord. No. 836]
[Amended 3-14-1974 by Ord. No. 706; 6-28-1979 by Ord. No. 784; 11-26-1996 by Ord. No.
1136]
A. The Detective Bureau as an integral part of the Police
Department of the Township of Saddle Brook is hereby established,
to which police from the Police Department shall be assigned as hereinafter
provided.
B. The Chief of Police shall assign any officer or member
of the Police Department to the Detective Bureau as shall from time
to time be necessary in the discretion of the Chief of Police. Any
such person or persons assigned to the Detective Bureau shall be subject
to rules and regulations promulgated by the appropriate authority.
Each and every policeman shall make complaint
before the Judge of the Municipal Court of the Township of Saddle
Brook of every person known to him to have violated any of the laws
of the United States or the State of New Jersey or ordinances of the
Township, so that the Judge may order the issuance of either a warrant
or summons for the appearance of the person charged with the violation.
[Amended 3-14-1974 by Ord. No. 706; 11-26-1996 by Ord. No. 1136]
Any member of the Police Department may be expelled
by the appropriate authority against whom any of the following charges
are substantiated, namely:
A. Intoxication or under the influence of any drug or
other compound while on or off duty.
B. Willful disobedience of official orders.
C. Indecent, profane or harsh language while in the performance
of duty.
D. Disrespect to a superior officer.
E. Unnecessary violence to a prisoner.
F. Absence without leave, sleeping on duty, absence from
post of duty without excuse or not properly patrolling his beat.
G. Immorality, indecency or lewdness.
H. Incapacity, either mental or physical.
I. Visiting, except on police business, any gambling
house, poolroom or house of ill fame, or visiting while in uniform
or on duty, except on police business, any saloon or liquor store.
J. Violation of any criminal law.
K. Making known any proposed action or movement of the
force or contents of any order other than to persons immediately concerned
in their execution.
L. Conduct subversive of good order and the discipline
of the force.
M. Publicly criticizing the official action of a superior
officer.
N. Failure to report a known violation of law or of the
ordinances of the Township, or accepting a bribe or favor as a consideration
for either the performance or non-performance of his duty.
O. Insubordination and failure to obey the rules and
regulations of the Police Department as promulgated by the appropriate
authority.
P. Failure to attend drill or the school of instructions
at the time affixed or whenever ordered.
Q. Swearing falsely in application for appointment to the force or in such other papers as required of him by affidavit as provided for in §
33-7 herein and in other provisions of this chapter.
R. Soliciting anyone to intercede with the Chief, the
appropriate authority or any superior officer in relation to promotions,
changing of any beats, disposition of pending charges or any findings
of a trial before the appropriate authority, or refusing to do duty
or evading duty of any kind whenever necessity requires, whether on
patrol or elsewhere and whether in uniform or not.
S. Visiting any place of amusement while in uniform,
except on police business.
[Amended 3-14-1974 by Ord. No. 706; 11-26-1996 by Ord. No. 1136]
When any member of the Police Department is
suspended from office and thereafter reinstated, he shall not receive
any pay for the period of such suspension unless otherwise ordered
by the appropriate authority.
[Amended 3-14-1974 by Ord. No. 706; 11-26-1996 by Ord. No. 1136]
All charges against members of the Police Department
shall be thoroughly examined by the appropriate authority, and upon
any member of said Department being convicted by the said appropriate
authority of any violation of any of the rules, regulations or orders
of the Department, the said authority may, in lieu of dismissal from
the Department, impose such penalty as in the judgment of the authority
is warranted by the character of the offense.
[Amended 3-14-1974 by Ord. No. 706; 11-26-1996 by Ord. No. 1136]
The appropriate authority shall make such rules
and regulations concerning the conduct and duties of the officers
and men, the kinds of uniforms and insignia to be worn by them and
concerning such other matters as may be necessary for the proper regulation
of the Police Department, and when the same have been adopted by the
said appropriate authority, they shall be known as the "Rules and
Regulations for the Government of the Police Department of the Township
of Saddle Brook" and shall be binding upon each member and employee
of the Department.
Each member of the Police Department shall be
presented with a copy of the rules and regulations of the Police Department.
Such rules shall show what his duty shall be on all occasions or upon
his being apprised of the violation of the provisions of any of the
ordinances of the Township, and also what particular provision of
any ordinance or ordinances it is his duty to see enforced; any neglect
by any member of the Police Department to carry out each and every
rule and regulation or order as aforesaid shall be held to be sufficient
cause for his dismissal from the Department.
[Amended 3-14-1974 by Ord. No. 706; 3-26-1987 by Ord. No. 945; 11-26-1996 by Ord. No.
1136]
The Police Department of the Township of Saddle
Brook shall be under the control of the appropriate authority of the
Township of Saddle Brook and the Department of Public Safety. All
members of the Police Department shall be appointed by the appropriate
authority of the Township.
[Added 1-26-1989 by Ord. No. 988; amended 6-4-2020 by Ord. No. 1682-20]
The Mayor of the Township of Saddle Brook may appoint from time
to time special law enforcement officers in accordance with New Jersey
Statutes for terms not exceeding one year. They shall possess and
exercise all the powers and duties provided by said statutes during
their term in 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, extraneous
duty, and the power of arrest. (N.J.S.A. 40A:14-146.8 et seq.)