Township of Byram, NJ Article I Establishment; Organization

§ 48-1 Establishment; composition.

The Police Department of the Township of Byram is hereby established and shall consist of a Chief of Police and such other members, officers and personnel that are deemed necessary to properly protect and preserve the peace and good order within the Township.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: See also Ch. 3, Administration of Government, § 3-33.

§ 48-2 Rules and regulations.

By virtue of the authority vested by law, the following rules and regulations are made and adopted for the government of the Police Department.

A. Rules and regulations established. The Police Department of the Township of Byram hereby establishes the following Department rules and regulations under cover to be known as the "Police Manual."[1]

[1] Editor's Note: The Police Manual is contained in Article II of this chapter.

B. Right to amend or revoke. For the good of the service, in accordance with N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118, the right is reserved by the Township Manager, as the representative of the Township Council, to amend or to revoke any of the rules, regulations or procedures, or add thereto, as circumstances require.

C. Previous orders. All rules, regulations, procedures and orders previously issued which are contrary to those embodied in the Manual are hereby revoked. All other rules, regulations, orders and procedures not in conflict with those contained in this Manual shall remain in force.

D. Qualifications. Effective August 5, 2021, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 11A:4-1.3, the State of New Jersey has authorized that municipalities may hire entry-level police officers who have successfully completed a Basic Course for Police Officers (BCPO) at a school approved and authorized by the New Jersey Police Training Commission and such applicant may be exempt from the requirement to take the civil service examination for an entry-level law enforcement position in the discretion of the Township. In appropriate circumstances, therefore, an applicant may be hired without having taken a civil service examination. The Township has previously adopted a conflict of interest policy and a nepotism policy as contained within the Byram Township Employee Handbook, Version 5.0, revised September 17, 2019.

[Added 3-1-2022 by Ord. No. 002-2022[2]]

[2] Editor's Note: This ordinance also redesignated former Subsection D as Subsection E.

E. Appointment. All applicants for appointment to the Police Department shall be qualified for appointment as required by law, ordinance and civil service rules and regulations. Preference shall be given to residents of the Township of Byram for applicants for initial Police Department appointment from the established civil service eligibility list, per N.J.S.A. 40A:14-123.1a. All other qualified applicants for an intergovernmental transfer or under the provisions of N.J.S.A. 11A:4-1.3 are exempt from the residency preference.

[Added 9-19-1994 by Ord. No. 13-1994; amended 3-1-2022 by Ord. No. 002-2022]

§ 48-3 Applicability.

Police regulations are applicable to every member of the Department regardless of rank and, where applicable, to all civilian employees of the Department.

§ 48-4 Line of authority.

In order to preserve a necessary degree of separation of executive and administrative powers from the legislative powers and political influences inherent in government, the Police Department shall be responsible to the Chief of Police who, in turn, shall be directly responsible to the Township Manager.

§ 48-5 Investigation of violations.

Alleged violations of these rules and regulations will be investigated by a member of the Department holding a permanent rank no less than one grade higher than the rank of the alleged violator. Alleged violations by the Chief of Police will be investigated by the Township Manager.