Divisions

The Parsippany Police Department embodies a chain of command comprised of a Chief of Police, Deputy Chief of Police, Captains, Lieutenants, Sergeants, Detectives, Patrol Officers and civilian personnel who are assigned to Administration and the Patrol, Investigative, Support Services and Community Policing Divisions within our Table of Organization.

Administration consists of the Chief of Police and Deputy Chief of Police. The Chief is the department’s executive officer who shall have full time responsibility for conduct, efficiency, and management of the department. The Deputy Chief supervises and oversees the daily workings of all divisions within the Department and has the responsibilities of the Chief of Police during prolonged, planned, or otherwise extended absences of the Chief, and will assist the Chief of Police in the daily operation and discipline of the Police Department and perform related work as required.

Captains, Lieutenants, and Sergeants serve in supervisory roles within the four divisions in various aspects. Detectives and Patrol Officers are subordinates within these divisions, all of which are supported by civilian personnel.

Patrol

The Patrol Division of the Police Department is the largest division and the agency's backbone. It is primarily manned by Patrol Officers to perform the police function in an efficient and effective manner. Patrol is the primary law enforcement function, but involves more than the act of patrolling. The officers of the Patrol Division engage in a wide range of services including, but not limited to, crime prevention, arresting offenders, responding to emergency medical situations, traffic control and direction. All patrol vehicles are equipped with fire extinguishers, flares, emergency rope, first aid kits, defibrillators, emergency blankets, pry bars, and lockout tools.

Commanded by a Captain, the Patrol Division is divided into four Patrol sections and one Traffic Section. Each Patrol section has a Lieutenant and three Sergeants. Patrol Officers are placed under the direct control of a Sergeant and are allocated based upon workload and the needs of the community.

The Traffic Section, is headed by a Sergeant who supervises four patrol officers. The main goal of the Traffic Section is to help reduce the number of motor vehicle and pedestrian accidents and make the township’s roadways safer. Many traffic-related complaints are handled directly by these officers who monitor potential problem areas by utilizing radar and issuing summonses for violations of the vehicle and traffic laws of the State of New Jersey. High visibility and saturation patrols are conducted to address other serious traffic offenses. The “Click it or Ticket” campaign ensures that drivers and passengers recognize the life-saving value of seat belts, and “Over the Limit, Under Arrest” is a drunk driving enforcement crackdown. The Traffic Section also attends pre-construction meetings for any construction projects that will affect vehicular or pedestrian traffic within the Township. The school Crossing Guards also fall under the supervision of the Traffic Section.

Investigative

The Investigative Division is comprised of an Adult Section a Youth Services Section, the Internal Affairs Section, and a Special Enforcement Unit. A Detective Captain leads the Adult Section with a Lieutenant, two Sergeants, and Patrol Officers classified as Detectives, as well as a civilian secretary. The Detectives conduct interviews of victims, witnesses and suspects of crimes. Other duties include tasks such as taking statements, seeking witnesses, and taking charge of crime scenes when called to investigate and collect evidence.

The Youth Services Section is staffed by a Detective Sergeant and Juvenile Detectives, who are classified as School Resource Officers (or SROs). The responsibilities of the Youth Services Section are similar to the Adult Section except the Youth Services Section handles offenders under the age of 18, while the Adult Section handles offenders 18 and older. Our School Resource Officers are assigned to the middle and high schools and act as a law enforcement resource for the secondary schools in addition to handling criminal-delinquent and family crisis matters. In addition to the SROs, the Youth Services Section houses Class Three Sworn Law Enforcement Officers (SLEO). A Class Three SLEO is a retired law enforcement officer who previously served as a fully-trained, full-time police officer in New Jersey. The officer must have served as a full-time officer within three years of appointment as a Class Three SLEO. The Class Three SLEO law was signed in November 2016 and established a new type of school security personnel. Class Three SLEOs have the explicit purpose of providing school security when schools are in session or occupied by students or staff.

Internal Affairs is also housed in the Investigative Division. All complaints of alleged officer misconduct or wrongdoing from any citizen or agency employee are thoroughly and impartially investigated with the protection of the integrity and reputation of the police department and the protection of the public acting as the primary objective. See our “Internal Affairs” tab on our menu bar at the top of our page for more info.

The Special Enforcement Unit or SEU handles all vice crimes, such as prostitution and drugs & alcohol. It is commanded by a Sergeant who oversees SEU Detectives.

Support Services

This Division is commanded by a Captain and a Sergeant and is supported by several officers and civilian personnel. It is comprised of a Records Section, a Planning & Research Section, a Property & Evidence Section and a Communications Section. The Records Section is responsible for the maintenance and control of all documents and computer files generated by the other divisions. This division's The Property & Evidence Section’s duties include logging and tracking all property and evidence items found or seized within the township. The Support Services Division also maintains the entire in-house computer system and CAD (computer aided dispatch) system, and handles fingerprinting for all required services within our township. Civilian personnel support this division as Administrative Assistants, garage mechanics and maintenance personnel. Support Services also oversees the Township's Animal Control Humane Law Enforcement office. Class One and Class Two Sworn Law Enforcement Officers (SLEOs) are also supervised by the Support Services Sergeant. SLEOs are part-time police officers who act in a support capacity during specialized events, storms, or states of emergency, or to assist Patrol by conducting property checks on various properties. Public Information Officers or PIOs are also members of this section who create and distribute all news releases to credible media outlets and maintain contact with the public through multiple social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

There is a Planning & Research Section within the Support Services Division. This section is charged with the immediate and long-range planning of the Department. The objectives of this section are to offset the uncertainty of change, focus attention on economical operation, training, goals and objectives. It also facilitates the department’s hiring process for Sworn Law Enforcement Officers. The members of this section recommend contingency plans for any anticipated hazard, problem or disaster. They also maintain community contacts to assist the department in the delivery of services to the citizens, and ensure that the officers are fully trained with regard to any and all possible situations that may arise out of every day encounters with the general public.

The Communications Section within the Support Services Division is commanded by a Lieutenant, who is also the Municipal 9-1-1 Coordinator, and oversees the Communications Center that is located within the Parsippany Police Headquarters. The Communications Center operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with highly trained Public Service Telecommunicators (PSTs) who attend specialized training for 9-1-1 and Emergency Medical Dispatch. The primary responsibilities of the Communications Section include handling all incoming non-emergency and emergency calls with a 9-1-1 enhanced system as well as all other calls that come into police headquarters for police, fire and ambulance. The full and part-time telecommunicators or “dispatchers” along with desk officers handle in excess of 100,000 calls per year via 9-1-1 and ten digit non-emergency lines. 9-1-1 calls for police, fire and emergency medical services are evaluated, assigned, and prioritized for the level of emergency response.

Communications utilizes state of the art radio and telephone equipment to ensure public safety as well as the safety of the officers protecting the Township. The 800 Mhz radio system is combined with a computer aided dispatch module that corresponds with mobile computer terminals in each patrol car. It has the capability to talk via radio to all emergency personnel, township departments and other police agencies statewide. Dispatchers also monitor specialized equipment such as the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) computer system. In addition, Communications processes all information requests from police officers concerning vehicle registration, driver license and warrant queries, and entries of stolen property and missing persons into the NCIC system.

Community Policing Division

Community relations allows the department to interact with the citizens of Parsippany and to provide them with information on various community-related services. The Community Policing Division, commanded by a Lieutenant, is comprised of trained crime prevention officers who are available to provide presentations to the public on various topics such as; Crime Prevention, Scams & Identity Theft, Home Security, Active Assailants (Active Shooter) and Distracted Driving. You can meet our Community Policing Officers at virtually all Township events and festivals. In addition to the presentations, our Community Policing Division maintains relationships with our cultural organizations, neighborhood associations, senior citizen groups and religious and corporate communities. All of our services are FREE of charge. One of our most popular programs is the House Watch Program. For more information on that program, please see our “Forms” tab on our menu bar.