Police Department

RECORDS

Police and accident reports are available by in person pick up or mail. Business hours are Monday to Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm.
Reports can be picked after business hours by calling ahead to arrange for a copy to be available. If a report is picked up after hours, you will meet with a Police Officer on duty. Please call 908-879-5626 when you arrive at police headquarters and tell the dispatcher you have arrived for the report and the Officer will meet you. Bring exact amount.

COST

In Person $.75 per page. Please call ahead to arrange for reports with Secretary Denise Newkirk. If requesting reports by mail, please include with your request, $.75 per page, postage costs and $.25 for envelope cost.
We do not fax reports
Accident reports require five (5) days to process from date of the accident.

ALARMS

All alarm systems that are connected to a monitoring service must be registered.
Fees: New - $20.00 Renewals $10.00 Late- $20.00
Alarms must be renewed by January 31 of each year. Late fee apply thereafter. Application and regulation information is available at Police Headquarters.

FINGERPRINTING

Fingerprinting is done through Sagem Morpho Inc.  Fingerprinting cannot be done through the department for anything other than official police business.  Please go to www.bioapplicant.com/nj for more information. 

OVERNIGHT PARKING

Parking on streets is prohibited from November 15 to April 1 between 12:00 am and 7:00 am

SIDEWALK CLEARING

Sidewalks are to be cleared of snow and ice with 24 hours

HANDICAPPED PARKING

The police department vigorously enforces handicap parking. Only vehicles that are properly placarded are permitted in a handicapped marked space.

TRAFFIC REGULATION IN SHOPPING MALLS

The police enforce traffic laws in the Shopping Malls. Summonses issued for moving violations are subject to motor vehicle points. Skateboards, roller blades, and similar wheeled devices are not to be operated in the malls. Fire zones are to be kept clear of vehicles. This includes standing vehicles. Parking shall only be in marked spaces.

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

Our community has a large volume of visitors that shop along Main Street. It is important that motorist and pedestrians recognize each other to allow for safe crossing. Motorist should use extra care when traveling through town and be aware that a pedestrian may suddenly appear. A pedestrian crossing the roadway has the right of way. A pedestrian is required to wait to cross until there’s a clear passage.

HISTORY

In the early days of the 1800's, there were no Police or Marshals. Local merchants and businessmen formed protective associations to protect themselves from thievery. Later in the 1900's, the Law and Order League was formed to offer the next step in protection. A Constable was hired from among the townsmen. A Justice of the Peace would act as a Judge to hear facts of the case and impose a penalty. In 1921, The State Police was formed and offered patrols in the region. The State Police appointed local constables who patrolled Chester.

In 1930, Chester Borough became a town and created a local government. The newly formed Mayor and Council created Ordinance 2, which established the organization and regulation of Police. The first Police Officer hired by the Mayor and Council was Walter Barkman. He was appointed on August 4, 1930 as a part-time patrolman to patrol the town. In September of 1930, the Council voted to provide uniforms to the police. The town did not have a full-time police force, but used the part time police to keep the peace. In 1949, the Council set the salary of the police. They were paid, $100.00 per year plus $1.25 per hour worked. In 1951, the Council voted to purchase two pistols and 3 police badges. Our Police, still part time are becoming more equipped to keep the peace. Radios are not perfected at this time, so officers received notice of calls through the local telephone switchboard operator. The switchboard operator would call the home of a police officer that lives next to the firehouse with his wife. The message is chalked onto a black board for the Officer on duty to ride by and read.

In 1961, ordinance 93 was enacted which is the beginning of the modern form of policing. This ordinance provides for a Police Chief, Police Officers and Special Officers. On June 16, 1960 Joseph B. Feltmann is appointed as the first full time Special Police Officer. On December 20, 1960, Officer Feltmann was appointed as the first Chief of Police of Chester Borough.

Thereafter, the Police Department begins to evolve. Soon, there are fulltime patrolmen hired to extend the departments ability to provide greater service. Modern methods of dispatching the police to calls are being developed. Chester Borough is being dispatched by the Dover Police Department and is part of a regional system of emergency service dispatching. Thereafter, the dispatching went to another agency, Morris County Radio and finally to where the current day dispatching occurs with the regional system through the Washington Township Police Department.

Today our force consists of its fifth Chief of Police, two Sergeants, one Detective and five Patrolmen. Our department is equipped with the tools necessary to provide the best service possible. Each patrol car hosts a laptop computer that is linked to inform the officer of a wanted person or vehicle, a missing person or child and motor vehicle information. The officer can prepare his reports from his vehicle and later convert it to print. The vehicles have emergency equipment such as heart defibrillators and oxygen. The officer is trained to restore the heartbeat of a stricken victim until other aid arrives.