Bernardsville Police Department

BERNARDSVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT

Detective Bureau

Officers assigned to the Detective Bureau investigate crimes, suspicious incidents, reports of missing persons, child abuse & neglect cases, and delinquent acts committed by juveniles. They also conduct background checks for law enforcement employment and for various permit applications as required by law. In addition, Detectives investigate crime scenes, photograph crime scenes and serious motor vehicle accident scenes, prepare drug and other evidence for submittal to various forensic laboratories; take civilian fingerprints and prepare indictable arrest cases for prosecution in coordination with the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office. Detectives work closely with investigators from other various local, state and county police agencies to share information, identify crime trends and jointly investigate cases with mutual interest.

Patrol Division 

The Patrol Division is responsible for the majority of police services provided by the department. Thirteen sworn officers and four civilian police dispatchers assigned to the Patrol Division comprise the largest single division in the department. The Patrol Division consists of one Patrol Lieutenant (Division Commander), and four Patrol Squads. Each Squad has one sergeant, two patrolman and one civilian dispatcher. The members of the Patrol Division are responsible for the performance of all primary police tasks including preventive patrol, immediate response to emergency situations including disputes, domestic violence, motor vehicle accidents, and crimes in progress; crime detection, crime reporting, preliminary investigations, traffic enforcement, parking enforcement, making arrests and transporting prisoners to and from court and jail; provide testimony in court; and completing all reports as required. The patrol officer works under the direct supervision of the Patrol Sergeant.

The Patrol Division also responds to emergency medical calls within the Borough to assist the Bernardsville First Aid Squad as needed. All officers are trained in first aid, CPR and use of the cardiac defibrillator. Six officers are trained as certified Emergency Medical Technicians to enable the delivery of a higher standard of emergency medical care to the community. The EMT's operate a vehicle that is equipped with extra equipment to provide emergency medical care that might be needed.

Office of Emergency Management

The Bernardsville OEM is established by Borough Ordinance in accordance with applicable state statutes. The Office consists of one Coordinator, two Deputy Coordinators and a Local Emergency Planning Committee all appointed by the Mayor. In addition various OEM Volunteers from the community are appointed to assist with programs such as CERT and the Shelter Volunteer Program. The Office is charged with the responsibility to plan, prepare, mitigate and respond to local emergencies and disasters. The OEM works closely with members of the Police Department, Fire Department, First Aid Squad, local community organizations as well as with other local, County, State and Federal emergency response agencies.