[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee
of the Township of Blairstown 8-9-2000 by Ord. No. 2000-08; amended in its entirety 12-12-2018 by Ord. No.
2018-27. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
There is hereby created in and for the Township of Blairstown
a Police Department within the County of Warren, State of New Jersey,
pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118 et seq. This chapter
is intended to ratify the existence and operation of the Police Department,
which has historically operated within and served the Township of
Blairstown, and at the same time satisfy statutory requirements of
the legislation as amended in 1981 and 1988.
The Police Department shall preserve the peace; protect life
and property; detect, arrest and prosecute offenders of the laws of
New Jersey and the ordinances of the Township of Blairstown; direct
and control traffic; provide attendance at and protection during emergencies;
provide appearances in court; cooperate with all other law enforcement
agencies; and provide training for the efficiency of its members and
officers as well as perform all other duties and fulfill all other
responsibilities normally associated with the operation of a police
department.
Said Police Department shall consist of one Chief of Police,
and such Police Inspectors, Captains, Lieutenants, Sergeants, Police
Officers, Special Law Enforcement Officers and civilian employees
as deemed necessary and appropriate by the Township Committee in consultation
with the Chief of Police. The Township Committee, in consultation
with the Chief of Police may, from time to time, leave one or more
of the above positions vacant, as they see fit. The express purpose
for identifying these offices is to establish a statutory line of
authority from all police employees to a higher elected authority.
Whenever any such office is intentionally left vacant, it will be
deemed not to exist and it will be passed in the chain of command.
The Township Committee, in consultation with the Chief of Police,
may therefore recreate or resurrect an office that has been so abolished
by naming a person to fill said office. No personnel may be appointed
to the Blairstown Police Department until they have satisfied all
statutory requirements and have complied with the selection process
and standards established by the Rules and Regulations adopted by
the Police Commissioner to govern said Police Department. No police
officers shall be appointed to the Blairstown Police Department until
they have successfully completed physical, mental and psychological
examinations. In the event that the abolishment of an office results
in a decrease in the members of the Police Department or demotion
in rank, any termination or demotion shall be in the inverse order
of appointment pursuant to and for the reasons established by N.J.S.A.
40A:14-143. Any promotions shall take into account due consideration
of the length and merit of service of existing members of the department
as required by N.J.S.A. 40A:14-129.
The Blairstown Police Department shall come under the jurisdiction
of the appropriate authority, which is hereby created pursuant to
N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118. Said appropriate authority shall be the Township
Committee.
A.
The Township Committee shall annually select one of its members as
the Police Commissioner who shall act as the liaison between the Township
Committee and the Chief of Police. The Police Commissioner shall be
responsible, with the advice and consent of the Township Committee,
for the promulgation, updating, and/or ratification of rules and regulations
for police personnel, which shall be known as the "Rules and Regulations
for the Police Department of the Township of Blairstown." Said rules
and regulations shall be in manual form and shall govern the conduct
of and be binding upon the entire membership, sworn officers and civilian
employees of the Police Department.
B.
Each sworn officer and each civilian employee is duty bound to be
thoroughly familiar with the provisions of the police manual and rules
and regulations of the Police Department.
In the event of any disciplinary proceeding against any member
of the Police Department of the Township of Blairstown, undertaken
and/or instituted pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40A:14-147
et seq., the Township Committee, as the appropriate authority, shall
act as the hearing officer in charge of all such proceedings. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the Township Committee may, in its discretion, elect
to designate a hearing officer other than the Township Committee,
including, but not limited to, the Chief of Police for the purpose
of conducting the disciplinary hearing, receiving evidence, preparing
a record, and submitting findings and a proposed recommendation of
penalty, if any, to the Township Committee.
Only the Township Committee acting in its capacity as the appropriate
authority or the Chief of Police may initiate disciplinary charges
against any member of the Police Department.
All disciplinary proceedings shall be conducted in accordance
with the requirements of N.J.S.A. 40A:14-147. The Township Committee,
acting in its capacity as the appropriate authority, shall schedule
a hearing no sooner than 10 calendar days nor later than 30 calendar
days, from the date of service of the charges upon the employee. A
notice of charges served upon any employee shall contain the date,
time and location of the hearing on the charges. The terms of any
disciplinary action imposed shall be set forth in a written resolution
adopted by the Township Committee.
The Chief of Police, as the executive head of the Police Department,
shall be responsible for the administration of the Police Department
and shall be directly responsible to the Township Committee for its
efficient operation. The Chief of Police shall be appointed by the
Township Committee.
The Chief of Police for the Township of Blairstown shall:
A.
Conduct and manage the day to day operations of the Police Department.
B.
Administer and enforce the rules and regulations of the Police Department
and any special emergency directive for the disposition and, except
as otherwise set forth in this chapter, the discipline of the Department
and its officers and members;
C.
Have, exercise and discharge the functions, powers, and duties of
the Chief Executive Officer of the Police Department;
D.
Prescribe the duties and assignments of all subordinate members and
officers;
E.
Delegate such authority as may be deemed necessary for the efficient
operation of the Police Department to be exercised under the direction
and control of the Chief of Police;
F.
Report at least monthly at the regular meeting(s) of the Township
Committee, or by any such other forms as the Township shall require,
as to the operation of the police force during the preceding month.
G.
Administer funds and property resulting from state forfeiture actions
in accordance with established state and federal law, regulations,
directives, guidelines and standard operating procedures.
H.
Other duties as permitted by state and local law.
The Chief of Police shall submit reports to the Township Committee
concerning the operation of the Police Department as may be requested
by the Committee.
A graphic table of organization shall be maintained by the Chief
of Police to show the divisional structure of the Police Department.
The function and duties of each position in the table of organization
shall be defined by policies established by the Chief of Police.
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118 the Chief of Police shall issue
operations orders, general orders, or standard operating procedures
or policies as the Chief deems necessary for efficiency and operation
of the Police Department.
Nothing contained herein shall infringe upon or limit the duty
and authority of the Chief of Police to act to provide for the health,
safety and welfare of the municipality in an emergency through special
emergency directives pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118
and 40A:14-146.9.
The Township Committee shall, in consultation with the Chief
of Police, appoint civilian members to the Police Department. Said
civilian employees will provide dispatch services, clerical duties
and logistical services in support of the Police Department and shall
perform other duties as specified by the Chief.
[Amended 12-12-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-27]
A.
The officer in charge or his/her designee, at his/her discretion,
may assign members of the Department not on regular duty and who may
volunteer for police outside work/special police services. While on
outside work/special police service, the members of the Department
shall be subject to all provisions of police rules, regulations and
directives.
B.
Parties contracting for police outside work/police special services
shall contact the Administrative Division at least two weeks prior
to the job/function. A description of job duties shall be provided
at that time so an appropriate posting can be accomplished at police
headquarters.
C.
Parties requesting police outside work/police special services may
be required to submit full payment in advance of the work to be performed.
D.
The rate of pay for police outside work/police special services,
excluding traffic services, shall be $100 per hour. The rate of pay
for police outside work/police special services for traffic services
shall be $100 an hour. All traffic control services will be contracted
for a minimum of four hours other than for long-term assignments.
The Township, as an administrative fee, shall retain $25 of the $100
hourly rates. The above notwithstanding, the hourly rate for police
outside work/police special services, excluding traffic, to be charged
on projects undertaken or funded by the Township of Blairstown or
the Township of Blairstown Board of Education shall be $100 per hour,
and the hourly rate of pay for traffic services on projects undertaken
or funded by the Township of Blairstown or the Township of Blairstown
Board of Education shall be $100 per hour.
E.
The $25 administrative fee provided by Subsection D above shall be waived for programs sponsored by the Township of Blairstown Municipal Departments.
F.
All vendors shall be required to make all payments for police outside
work/police special services assignments payable to the Township of
Blairstown. All payments for police outside work/police special services
assignments shall be forwarded to the Township of Blairstown Police
Department and forwarded to the Finance Department. The Finance Department
shall deposit all funds earmarked for the payment of police outside
work/police special services officers, collected from vendors, into
a special escrow fund. The escrow fund shall be established for payment
to members of the Township of Blairstown Police Department performing
the police outside work/police special services. All police officers
shall be required to submit pay slips to the officer in charge. The
pay slip shall be in a form approved by the officer in charge. Upon
receipt of a properly executed pay slip verified by the vendor, the
Finance Department will process the pay slips for disbursement. Officers
performing police outside work/police special services shall be paid
on a timely basis.
G.
If a party contracting for outside work/police special services must
cancel said services, the party shall be required to give notice at
least two hours prior to the start for traffic control and at least
eight hours for all other services. A four-hour-per-officer requested
charge will be levied for failure to adhere to the above cancellation
policy.
[Amended 3-22-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-04]
H.
If after an officer arrives at an assignment for outside work/police
special services and all or part of that work is canceled, the contracting
party shall pay a minimum charge equal to the hours booked to a maximum
of four hours.
