[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Trenton 11-7-1989 as Title 3, Ch. 5 of the 1989 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Emergency management — See Ch. 42.
A. 
Police Department personnel. The Police Department shall consist of the Chief of Police, who shall be appointed by the Town Board, and such police officers as the Town Board may prescribe by ordinance or resolution, or appointed by the Chief subject to Town Board approval.
B. 
Salary; collection of fees. The Chief and the police officers shall receive a salary or hourly compensation fixed by the Town Board and shall not be entitled to any other compensation. All fees, bail deposits, and other special remuneration of funds collected or received by the Department or any of its officers shall be deposited with the Town Treasurer.
C. 
Police Administrative Specialist.
(1) 
The Police Administrative Specialist (Clerk) is a nonsworn member of the Trenton Police Department. This position works under the direction of the Chief of Police or his/her designee. The purpose of this position shall be to prepare reports as necessary for the officers of the Department. The Police Administrative Specialist shall also be responsible for the coordination of court lists and their delivery to the court on a predescribed basis.
(2) 
The Police Administrative Specialist shall prepare reports as necessary in a format as directed by the officer preparing said report. The Police Administrative Specialist shall be responsible for the good care of all police records and shall prepare, file, and transport all records with extreme care.
(3) 
All police records are strictly confidential and shall be kept as such.
A. 
Appointment and term. The Chief of Police shall be appointed by the Town Board and shall hold office until his resignation, retirement, death, or removal by the Town Board for cause.
B. 
Qualifications. The position of Chief of Police is a part-time paid position. Applicants shall supply a resume as to background and proven job experience, including formal police training (a minimum of an associate degree in police science preferred), a minimum of five years in a police department in a ranking officer position, and business management experience, including but not limited to budgeting, accounting, letter writing, marketing, and good management and people skills. The selection of a Chief of Police will be at the discretion of the Town Board. The Board may elect to take applications from within the Department or go outside to find a suitable candidate for the position.
C. 
Removal.
(1) 
If the Chief fails to perform his/her duties as described by this chapter or comply with the rules and regulations of appropriate governmental authorities or agencies in connection with his/her duties as Chief of Police, he/she may be removed from office by a majority vote of the Town Board.
(2) 
The notification of removal shall be accompanied by a written complaint prepared by the Town Board, filed by the Town Clerk, and the Chief shall be so notified. Upon removal from active duty of the Chief, the Town Board shall direct an officer to be in charge of the Police Department.
D. 
Appeal.
(1) 
Within 10 days, if the Chief so desires, he/she may file a written request for a hearing before the Town Board, stating dates he/she will be available for a hearing within 15 days of his/her request for a hearing.
(2) 
The Town Board shall hold the hearing within 15 days of the request for the hearing. The Chief of Police shall be notified in writing of the date and time of such hearing. At the hearing, the Chief may present evidence deemed necessary to deny or refute the charges prepared by the Town Board. At the conclusion of this hearing the Town Board, by a majority vote, shall make its decision to remove, reprimand, or clear the Chief of the charges levied against him/her.
A. 
The Chief of Police shall possess the powers, enjoy the privileges and be subject to the liabilities conferred and imposed by law upon marshals and constables.
B. 
The Chief shall obey all lawful written orders of the Town Chairperson and the Town Board.
C. 
The Chief shall cause the public peace to be preserved and see that all laws and ordinances of the Town and state are enforced, and whenever any violation thereof comes to his/her knowledge, he/she shall cause the requisite complaint to be made and see that the evidence is procured for the successful prosecution of the offender.
D. 
The Chief shall be solely responsible for the care and condition of the equipment used by the Police Department.
E. 
The Chief shall keep an accurate and complete record of all complaints, arrests, traffic violations, convictions, and dispositions of the Department. Such records shall be open to public inspection at all reasonable times, shall be the property of the Town and shall be turned over by the Chief of Police to his/her successor in office.
F. 
The Chief shall devote his/her entire on-duty time to official duties.
G. 
The Chief shall keep an accurate and complete record of all fees, bail deposits and any other special remuneration or funds received by the Police Department.
Each officer of the Department shall possess the powers conferred on marshals and constables by law and shall preserve the public peace and enforce the laws and ordinances of the state and Town, subject to the orders, rules and regulations of the Chief of Police, the Town Chairperson, and the Town Board.
The Chief of Police and any police officer shall arrest any person in the Town found in the act of violating any law or ordinance of the Town or state or aiding or abetting in such violation, and they shall arrest without warrant any person whom they have reasonable grounds to believe has violated any law or ordinance and who will not be apprehended unless immediately arrested, shall take any arrested person in charge and confine him/her and shall, within a reasonable time, bring such person before the court having jurisdiction thereof to be dealt with according to law.
The Town Chairperson and Supervisors shall have and exercise the powers of peace officers and may summarily suppress any riotous or disorderly conduct in the streets or public places of the Town.