Police History
THE FOLLOWING WILL PROVIDE A BRIEF CHRONOLOGY
OF THE EVOLUTION OF THE FAR HILLS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
Far Hills was a part of Bernards Township prior
to 1921. One of the main reasons voiced by its townspeople for secession was the lack of police protection in this portion
of Bernards. After a successful referendum and approval by the State Legislature, the Borough of Far Hills was incorporated
under the laws of 1921. The second Ordinance (No. 21-2) enacted by the Borough Council in 1921 was that which created the
police department.
The police department was comprised of the police
committee of the Borough council and staffed by special marshals. Many of the marshals were regularly employed by a local
detective agency and were familiar with investigative work. They instituted a patrol schedule and provided a regular police
presence.
In 1927, The Borough Council formed a Police
Board comprised of the Mayor and the Police Committee. Together with the Special Marshals they collectively comprised the
police department. Special Police Officers were also created and a Chief of Police was selected from among the Special
Marshals by Resolution. This form of policing, so prevalent throughout much of rural New Jersey during the period, remained
in place through the depression era until after the Second World War.
Fred Koenig
In 1948, a new police ordinance was enacted.
The new Ordinance created an appointed Chief of Police position and established a salary range for that full-time position.
Fred Koenig was appointed as the first permanent Chief of Police. Chief Koenig had attended the Newark Police Academy
and been a member of the Union Police Department prior to the war. After the war, he worked as a police officer with the Mendham
Borough Police Department prior to his appointment as Chief. He was the only full-time member of the police department. In
the early years of his tenure, Chief Koenig was required to use his own personal vehicle to answer police calls. There was
no formal police headquarters yet and all police calls were routed to his home. Although two-way police radios were in use
in larger city police departments, there was no dispatch service available to rural departments until 1952. For the first
four years, Chief Koenig had to rely on his wife to answer the phone while he was patrolling. If she took a call that would
require a physical police response, she would hang a flag out on the front porch. Chief Koenig would periodically check
for the flag and respond home for the call information.
In 1951, the Borough purchased its first patrol
car. The new Ford Interceptor was equipped the following year with a two-way police radio. Far Hills became one of the
first police departments to be dispatched by the newly formed Morris County Police Radio system, a privately owned dispatch
service. Throughout 1952, many more Somerset County and Morris County police, fire and rescue squads signed on to the system.
The police department established a headquarters that was housed in the municipal building located in Schley Hall, a wood
frame building located on the fairgrounds.
Chief Koenig
In 1952, a new police ordinance set the Chief
of Police annual salary at no less than $2,700 nor more than $3,750. The ordinance, also created, for the first time, the
position of Patrolman and invoked a set of rules and regulations for the governance of the police department. The ordinance
also establishes a probationary period for newly appointed members. It is interesting to note that the position of Patrolman
was never staffed. Beyond the Chief of Police position there were no other full-time employees of the police department. Special
Police Officers were used to supplement the police force. Special police officers, whose use was widespread throughout
New Jersey during the period, remained the backbone of many rural departments, including Far Hills for many years thereafter.
In 1969 Chief Koenig retired from the police department.
New Chief-Jospeh H. Dorman (center) is sworn in as
Chief of police by Attorney Richard H. Herold (left) as Mayor Edwin M. Burke looks on. The ceremony took place on December
27th 1968 in the Bernardsville Offices of Wharton Stewart and Davis.
Chief Joseph Dorman was appointed to succeed
Chief Koenig. Chief Dorman had been an investigator for the Public Defenders Office and worked as a patrolman with the Bernards
Township Police Department for six years prior to his appointment as the Chief of Police. Chief Dorman continued to utilize
Special Police Officers throughout his tenure. Many specials that were trained by Chief Dorman went on to full-time police
careers in other Somerset County departments. Unlike some municipalities, Far Hills always maintained a high degree of in-service
training for its specials. A few specials worked full-time hours. Sal Treppiccione, who was first appointed as a Special
Officer for the Borough in 1955, worked a forty-hour work week. He was the only special to attain the rank of Sergeant. Sergeant
Treppiccione was one of the few officers to have worked under three police chiefs. At the end of 1978, Chief Dorman resigned
his position.
Chief Dorman
Chief Dudas
Kalman Dudas, III was appointed to succeed Chief
Dorman Chief Dudas had been employed as a Patrolman with the Peapack-Gladstone Police Department for six years prior
to his appointment as the third Chief of Police. In 1979, the New Jersey Attorney General had issued a formal opinion concerning
the use of special police. His opinion cited, among other things, the lack of formal training and certification by the Police
Training Commission. His opinion encouraged police departments to replace special officers with full-time trained and P.T.C.
Patrolmen. The Borough Council, taking heed to the opinion, hired a second full-time police officer in April 1979. Patrolman
Robert Zimmerman, a six year veteran of the Morris County Park Police and former Sergeant with that organization, assumed
his duties as the first full-time Patrolman in the history of the Borough police department. Special officers remained in
use throughout the first half of the nineteen eighties and their numbers actually grew to meet the demands of a growing number
of special annual events that came to the Borough. During the early eighties, there were as many as thirteen specials on the
roster.
In 1981, a second full-time patrolman, John J.
Lucas, Jr. was hired. In the mid-eighties, court case known as the Belmar Decision, caused a moratorium on the use of all
special police officers in the State of New Jersey. For several years, the Far Hills Police Department operated as a three-man
police department. In 1986, legislation was enacted that set out a minimum training criteria and classifications of special
officers. Two former Far Hills special officers enrolled in the first-ever basic training course offered in the state. They
were re-appointed that year to resume their duties. The previous legislation that established their training requirements
also established a limit on the number of hour's specials could work per week and placed other restrictions on their use.
In 1989, Patrolman Kenneth G. Moose, Jr. was hired as the Borough's fourth full-time officer. The police department began
to augment a midnight shift patrol presence staffed by full-time police officer. In 1997, Chief Dudas retired after serving
the Borough for nineteen years.
Chief Zimmerman
On January 1, 1998, Robert Zimmerman was appointed
as the Borough's fourth Police Chief. Unlike any previous Chief, Chief Zimmerman was the first Chief of Police to come from
within the ranks of police department having previously served as a Sergeant and a Lieutenant with the department. In 1999,
a fifth full-time officer was added to the ranks of the department. In March of 1998, the police department initiated a 24/7-patrol
schedule providing a patrol presence around the clock each day of the year. During the past four years, the police department
has undergone many internal changes and technological improvements. Our marked police cars are equipped with Mobile Data Terminals,
which allow patrol officers to access certain criminal justice information instantly from the patrol car. Cellular telephone
communications are also available from within the patrol car. A new police computer system was implemented along with a new
UHF police radio system. All new duty weapons were purchased several years ago and new police shotguns last year.
The police department will be expanding the physical
plant of its headquarters during 2001 doubling the square footage of our present area. Automated External Defibrillators were
added to the department's inventory last year. In-car video cameras will be added during 2001.
The present police department continues to dedicate
its time, talent, equipment and manpower to crime deterrence and maintaining our rich tradition of service-oriented policing.
We are very proud of the past eighty years of service to our residents, businesspeople and visitors and look forward to a
continuing legacy to provide the best service possible.
Chief Ken Hartman
In August of 2002 Ken Hartman was promoted to
"Officer in Charge" as former Chief Zimmerman retired. After serving the Borough as a patrolman Ken Hartman began his term
of leadership as the Borough's first Officer in Charge. This position carried all the responsibilities of the Chief's position
while the Borough was without a permanently appointed Chief. In 2003 just slightly more than a year serving as the Officer
in Charge, Ken Hartman was promoted and appointed as the Borough's fifth Chief of Police. Chief Ken Hartman was also the youngest
Chief running the daily operations of the Police Department. Promoted at 33 years old, Chief Ken Hartman was faced with a
complete re-organization of the police department. Shortly after promoting Sgt. John Lucas to the position of Lieutenant,
Lucas retired from the police department. Lucas at the time was one of the original members of the department and this open
position created some movement within. Between the years 2002 and 2005 Chief Hartman hired an all new police force. This expansion
and reorganization included bringing on officers of all experience levels. Each new officer possesses their own special training
and unique abilities which greatly enhances the services that are provided to the Borough. Along with the new officers, Chief
Hartman created the Borough's first detective bureau. This would be the first time that the small sized police department
was to see two officers working in the detective's position. With specialized training, and advanced tools, the Borough is
seeing almost all cases/incidents being solved from the resources within the police department. Computer upgrades bring desktop
and laptop computers to the police department. Going from one single computer desktop to having a fully integrated system
on a network with wireless capabilities has greatly changed the speed of reporting and data collection. A new program brings
the police departments record management system, database, and police reports to a new level for the first time in the departments
history. Recent purchases of high power specialized rifles allows the police department to provide highly qualified officers
with an array of dependable weapons. Communications abilities have increased greatly with the implementation of new frequencies,
and equipment. Each officer is outfitted with the highest quality portable communication devices that allow the ability to
communicate with many levels of resources from local road departments, rescue, fire onto higher levels of law enforcement.
Community service has also been a new development allowing officers to implement alternatives to fines or permanent records.
Community service has seen garbage cleanups, municipal lawn maintenance, fairgrounds cleanups, train station cleanups, and
patrol vehicle washes. Referals to outside resources have also been part of the Community Service development. A new Administrative
Assistant to the Chief of Police has been of great value. With the increased calls for service, investigations and incidents
come along with a higher flow of paperwork and phone calls. The new Admin position allows the police department to focus on
solving cases and crimes, providing a more productive environment for the whole department. The ability to have the Admin
position available to answer phone calls during normal business hours, and also to greet visitors or customers of the police
department increases the level of service that we can offer. Participation in many programs offered by the State and County
levels has also increased. Officers perform specialized patrols such as Click it or Ticket (grant funded enforcement to increase
the awareness of wearing seatbelts save lives), Drunk Driving Enforcement (grant funded Driving while intoxicated enforcement
clearly saves lives and increases awareness of our no-tolerance), and other programs in and around the area of Far Hills.
In 2005 another accomplishment in the police departments history was the first assignment of Far Hills officers to the Somerset
County Task Force. The Task force is made up of officers throughout the county where undercover operations and investigations
are conducted. Several officers have been assigned already and this has been a great experience giving our officers
much greater education and skills to return with. Our Special Class II Officers continue to provide an additional
service to the Borough by doubling up on evening patrols, foot patrols throughout the Village area and assisting in various
needs of the police department. With constant officer training and advancement of skills, Chief Hartman is dedicated to providing
the highest standards and the utmost professional department to the residents, businesses and visitors of the Borough. New
police badges with an old style flair and new police shoulder patches which resemble the original Far Hills Police Patch with
a modern flair bring back a bit of tradition to the department. The addition of two new 4x4 patrol units, and two standard
police patrol cars have upgraded the ability of the officers to respond for service in any conditions. Newly designed graphics
enhance the appearance of the Far Hills Police Department and its vehicles. In August of 2007 history was made with the first
Far Hills Officer being accepted to the Somerset County SWAT Team. Detective Michael DeCarolis Congratulations to your history
making position. The County SWAT team is made up of members from law enforcement agencies throughout the entire county. Chief
Hartman and the Far Hills Police Department's officers are dedicated to providing you the futures finest with and old fashioned
style.
