Difference between County Police and Sheriff?

[xpawel15x]

How come Bergen County has both County Police and County Sheriff's Office and Passaic County only has Sheriff's Office and no County Police?

Bergen County Police does patrolling and provides services to towns like K9, bomb squad, swat, etc. Does Passaic County Sheriff provide this to their towns?

 

[crashcrew]

http://www.pcsheriff.org/The-Bureau-Of-Law-Enforcement.htm

 

[xpawel15x]

http://www.pcsheriff.org/The-Bureau-Of-Law-Enforcement.htm

been there already, I wanna know why Bergen county has both county police and sheriff's office while Passaic county only has Sheriff's office that seems to patrol like the police...

 

[902]

I wanna know why Bergen county has both county police and sheriff's office while Passaic county only has Sheriff's office that seems to patrol like the police...

They are chartered to do two different jobs. The Sheriff is a position required by state law and goes back in history to U.S. (and British) Common Law. The police department was created by the Board of Frozen Cheeseloaders in 1917.

Here is a history of the BCPD.

Not much of a history about the BCSD.

There was some discussion in the past about 'brown guys' (the SD wears blue uniforms now; when I was on the job ~20 years ago, it was brown shirts/ "pink-tan" pants) and 'blue guys' getting together as one department, but politics always stood in the way. There were also some speed bumps in the history of the SD (being a Bergen Co. resident, you probably know what I mean... if not, ask around). Looking in from the outside, it looks very sharp today.

Some parts of the country, such as the place I live in today, have sheriff's departments that have full responsibilities. Other parts of the country - generally places that allow charter forms of government, where the voters define who does what - have a county police department that has full responsibilities and the Sheriff (if there is one) has extremely narrow duties (if any, at all).

 

[Thunderbolt]

Usually, a County Police Dept., is a combination of all, or most of the municipal law enforcement agencies in a single county. As such, each officer has complete countywide authority to enforce all criminal, ordinance, and traffic laws, which apply to each community or the county as a whole. Moreover, in a jurisdiction that has both a County Police and a Sheriff's Dept., the latter usually handles process serving, evictions, delinquent tax collections, court, and jail security.

I can remember when some of the counties in Maryland back in the 1970s, used the term "County Police," to describe a more modernistic approach to community policing. Some of the commissioners felt that the term "Sheriff" applies to the Old West, and was rather antiquated in the Space Age. I don't know if they still follow this practice or not?

73s

Ron

 

[npd155]

There are only 2 county police departments holding on still in NJ. Bergen and Union countys. The last 2 to be abolished were middlesex and essex county police departments.

 

[ctrabs74]

I can remember when some of the counties in Maryland back in the 1970s, used the term "County Police," to describe a more modernistic approach to community policing. Some of the commissioners felt that the term "Sheriff" applies to the Old West, and was rather antiquated in the Space Age. I don't know if they still follow this practice or not?

If you mean as far as the county's law enforcement agency being referred to as "County Police" as opposed to the "Sheriff's Office" than that is the case in Baltimore, Montgomery, Prince George's, Anne Arundel, and Howard Counties (there are Sheriff's Offices in the respective counties, but mainly for courthouse security, but the LE agency is referred to County Police). That probably has more to do with the statutory requirements in Maryland than anything else (in that there has to be a sheriff's office for courthouse security related reasons).

 

[jaymatt1978]

Ron has it right up until a few years ago the Bergen County Sheriff couldn't even write a parking ticket legally. They would need to call the county police to write the tickets. They county police in New Jersey really do everything, provide security for county property, escort county officials, even assist the local police department s.

 

[ScanXO]

whats the difference?

State Laws and Job titles are differnet the BC Police are the Police, and if you attended the Academy open house last summer one of the Officers said that the BCPD had "full" pursuit powers decades before the local Police they could chase you across town county lines where the local PD could not - it changed in the mid 70's
the Sheriff in Nj as indicated by an article in the Bergen Record 3 weeks ago state that the SO does not get to do the Jails in Nj thats left up to the County
yes some counties did away with thier county police - who's duties were taken over by the Sheriff but did you know that those County Police Officers sued and won got $$ but politics wont set it back just yet
The Sheriff is an important job but it seems like about the late 80's 90"s thay have been trying to be like a Police - again in NJ unlike other states the Sheriff evolved differently
Why is it the Sheriff in Nj in the areas of the rural parts of the state never "patrolor were contracted out to cover the local towns?
In Bergen County the County Police did and was the police for almost half of the 70 towns at one time in the 1920's thru 1950"s and even dispatch/pre 911/ took the telphone calls for most towns including upper Passaic County and i think the guy said sometimes Paterson PD in the old days...check the West Milford PD web site they mentioned that
theres more am sure but the BCPD doesnt make a big deal about this thier web site is weak but thier very active quietly

 

[Sybex7254]

How come Bergen County has both County Police and County Sheriff's Office and Passaic County only has Sheriff's Office and no County Police?

Bergen County Police does patrolling and provides services to towns like K9, bomb squad, swat, etc. Does Passaic County Sheriff provide this to their towns?

The Passaic County Park Police was absorbed into the Passaic County Sheriff's Department back in the mid 80's therefore they have been providing the combined services of both departments under one organization since as well as also providing K9, Bomb and Ambulance services to the county.

Most County Police departments were/are responsible for protection of County Properties and Parks or Highways (or both). I do believe a few counties differentiated between County Police and County Park Police (i.e. Middlesex) but for the most part was just one Police Department.

Essex County Police is a good example. Since being absorbed into the Essex County Sheriff's Department, there is now a Police Division of the Sheriff's department which primarily patrols the county parks and properties.

I'm sure the move towards having one County Law Enforcement organization was done to simplify and streamline things. I'm sure it's also financially beneficial as well.

The original charters for each department have changed over the years to adapt with modern times. Not all counties have the Sheriff Department in charge of the County Jails for example. Some Counties also a County Correction Departments that usually fall under the responsibility of the County Department of Public Safety (i.e. Hunterdon & Essex) and not the County Sheriff.

So in a nutshell the responsibility for who does what or who provides which service is dependent on which county you're talking about.

There are only 2 county police departments holding on still in NJ. Bergen and Union counties. The last 2 to be abolished were Middlesex and Essex county police departments.

Partly true but not 100% accurate. Morris County still has a County Park Police department so if you follow my example above there are 3 County Police Departments left in NJ.

 

[npd155]

The Passaic County Park Police was absorbed into the Passaic County Sheriff's Department back in the mid 80's therefore they have been providing the combined services of both departments under one organization since as well as also providing K9, Bomb and Ambulance services to the county.

Most County Police departments were/are responsible for protection of County Properties and Parks or Highways (or both). I do believe a few counties differentiated between County Police and County Park Police (i.e. Middlesex) but for the most part was just one Police Department.

Essex County Police is a good example. Since being absorbed into the Essex County Sheriff's Department, there is now a Police Division of the Sheriff's department which primarily patrols the county parks and properties.

I'm sure the move towards having one County Law Enforcement organization was done to simplify and streamline things. I'm sure it's also financially beneficial as well.

The original charters for each department have changed over the years to adapt with modern times. Not all counties have the Sheriff Department in charge of the County Jails for example. Some Counties also a County Correction Departments that usually fall under the responsibility of the County Department of Public Safety (i.e. Hunterdon & Essex) and not the County Sheriff.

So in a nutshell the responsibility for who does what or who provides which service is dependent on which county you're talking about.




Partly true but not 100% accurate. Morris County still has a County Park Police department so if you follow my example above there are 3 County Police Departments left in NJ.

Your kidding right? Its 100% accurate because I stated "County Police" not "County Park Police. If you want to get technical, Camden county has "park police" too....is a different job title.

 

[902]

I didn't see anyone make mention of it, so here's an article from Sunday's Record. Apparently the issue has resurfaced.
http://tinyurl.com/2breym

When I was working there, the Sheriff's Department had two categories of sworn officer: Corrections Officer (CO), who were (eventually) sent to COTA, the corrections officers' training academy and ultimately trained in the powers of arrest and use of deadly force, etc., but the program omitted anything to do with Title 39 (motor vehicles); and, Sheriff's Officer (SO), who went through the full police officer training in Mahwah. Even though the uniforms were the same, the SOs did everything except corrections and COs did only jail. That may have changed over the years.

It was my impression that after the Bob Herb days, the SOs tried to do some enforcement activity and even bought a boat to go up and down the Hackensack River. Kinda reminded me of the movie Super Troopers. The COs had no authority to do any enforcement activities outside of the jail. I like Leo McGuire's statement of not wanting to jump in the middle of this.

Sigh... $108,973 top pay... $78.59/ hr. overtime... would have been about five years to retirement... oh well.