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, Class II & III (Part-Time) Special Law Enforcement Officers (SLEOs), Public Safety Telecommunicators (dispatchers) and civilian personnel who are assigned to the Administration and Patrol, Investigative or Support Services 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 three divisions in various aspects. Detectives and Patrol Officers are subordinates within these divisions, all of which are supported by civilian personnel.
Patrol Division
As a backbone to any police department, the Patrol Division is commanded by a Captain and consists of uniformed officers who serve the Parsippany community 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is the largest in the agency. These officers respond to approximately 28,000 calls for service each year. They respond to emergencies, requests for police services and quality of life issues. Patrol Officers also conduct proactive patrols to maintain high visibility as a criminal deterrent and to enforce traffic violations. Class Two Special Law Enforcement Officers (SLEO II) also assist Patrol by working in a part-time capacity as needed. They are sworn law enforcement officers and have the same capabilities as full-time officers while they are on duty. Although they assist Patrol, the SLEOs fall under the supervision of Support Services.
Although traffic enforcement is a responsibility for any police officer, the Patrol Division also contains a Traffic Section with a main goal for keeping the many streets and highways within and around Parsippany safe for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. High visibility and saturation patrols are conducted to address other serious traffic offenses. Many Traffic Programs are also facilitated through the Traffic Section to include; “Click it or Ticket” a campaign that ensures that drivers and passengers recognize the life-saving value of seat belts, and “Over the Limit, Under Arrest” which 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 Division
The Investigative Division is comprised of an Adult Section, a Youth Services Section, the Internal Affairs Section, and a Special Enforcement Unit. 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. Specialized Detectives are also tasked with certain responsibilities such as Megan’s Law Offenders, Arson Investigators, Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) Officers and Bias Crimes.
The Youth Services Section is staffed by Juvenile Detectives who are classified as School Resource Officers (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. 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 III) who are retired law enforcement officers 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 SLEO III.
The Class Three SLEO law was signed in November 2016 and established a new type of school security personnel. SLEO IIIs 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 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 (SEU) handles all vice crimes, such as prostitution and drugs & alcohol.
The Investigative Division is commanded by a Division Captain who oversees the Lieutenant and Sergeants who supervise the Detectives assigned to this division.
Support Services Division
Commanded by a Captain, this Division is the “behind-the-scenes” of the department. It helps steer the department based on department needs & capabilities. It is comprised of a Records Section, a Planning Section, a Property & Evidence Unit 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.
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 Officers (HLEOs).
Sworn Law Enforcement Officers (SLEOs) Class II are also supervised by the Support Services Division.
Public Information Officers or PIOs are also members of this Division and are responsible for creating and distributing news releases to credible media outlets and maintaining contact with the public through multiple social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The PIOs will disseminate emergency mass notification alerts during emergencies. See our “Emergency Alerts” in our Menu Bar to learn how to receive these alerts.
The Planning 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. The Planning Section Lieutenant is also the department’s Accreditation Manager.
The Communications Section 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 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 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.
The Support Services Division also has a Community Relations Officer who proactively interacts with the citizens of Parsippany and provides them with information on various community-related services. The Community Relations Officer is trained and certified in various areas which allows the officer to provide presentations to the public on various topics such as; Crime Prevention, Threat & Hazard Mitigation, Scams & Identity Theft, Residential & Business Security Assessments, Response to Active Assailants (Active Shooter). You can meet our Community Policing Officers at most, if not all, of Township events and festivals. In addition to the presentations, our Community Relations Officer is the Department Liaison to our Houses of Worship, banks, cultural organizations, neighborhood associations, senior citizen groups 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.