Piscataway's citizens should know that public safety is the number one priority of the Mayor, Town Council and most importantly the Piscataway Police Department. Under the direction of Chief Kevin Harris, Piscataway has one of the lowest crime rates in New Jersey. The entire Piscataway Police Department should be applauded for their hard work and dedication to maintaining a safe environment for all of Piscataway's residents.

The Police Department has two divisions that serve different purposes for the Piscataway community. Within each division, there are specific sections that are responsible for protecting and providing assistance to the residents of Piscataway. The divisions are Operations and Support.

The Support Division is headed by Captain Rick Ivone. Within this division there are eight sections. The General Investigation Section is responsible for conducting investigations for crimes committed within the Township. The investigations range from minor disorderly conduct offenses to major criminal investigations. The Detectives within this section also assist the victims with navigating the criminal justice system.

Special Victims Unit is responsible for crimes involving sexual assaults, missing persons, and juveniles. The Detectives are specially trained to deal with sensitive issues that arise from persons who have been victimized especially incidents involving missing persons and juveniles. Those incidents are given particular importance due to the vulnerability of the victims. The School Resource Officers (SRO), work under the supervision of the Special Victims unit. The SRO is the liaison between the school and the police department. One SRO is assigned to the high school and the other is responsible for all three middle schools.

The Narcotics Unit is responsible for investigating offenses involving drugs. The Emergency Services Unit (ESU) is a highly trained unit that prepares for emergency response to unexpected incidents. This unit is used to serve warrants. The members of this unit go through demanding physical workouts to build their strength and agility. They are highly skilled in the use of firearms and special tactics.

The responsibility of the Training Section is to provide high quality education and training for all of the Township's police officers. Officers receive a variety of training annually.

Community Policing promotes a partnership between the community and the police. The Service Section supports the police department's overall mission of providing the department with well-maintained equipment, along with auxiliary services that may assist in the delivery of the highest quality police service. In 2005, the Piscataway Community Substation was officially opened on the site of what used to be an abandoned gas station on West 4th Street. This was made possible through a Grant by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. This highly visible substation promotes a police presence, as well as functions as the staging area for National Night Out in Piscataway Township.

The Records Section is responsible for maintaining all official police reports and documents. Incident reports, as well as motor vehicle accident reports are maintained electronically. These reports are available to citizens for a nominal fee.

The Operations Division is headed by Captain Timothy Grant. Within the Operations Division there are two sections. The first is the Patrol Section. This Section's primary function is the preservation of life and property. Patrol Officers aggressively enforce motor vehicle laws. They also patrol the township to preserve law, keep peace, and prevent crimes. The Patrol Officer will be the first responder to handle a variety of calls to provide assistance to the general public. These calls consist of: assisting the sick or injured, answering complaints, domestic disputes, fires, thefts and accidents. The Officers also conduct preliminary investigations.

Traffic Safety also falls within the Operations Division. Its primary function is to provide the safe and expeditious travel of citizens throughout the township. The duty of these officers is to provide assistance to any driver with matters pertaining to motor vehicles and safety on the township roadways. Their duties include the investigation and remediation of all traffic complaints, parking issues, abandoned vehicles, traffic engineering and regulatory matters. Other areas that also fall under the jurisdiction of the Traffic Safety Section are the school crossing guards, inspection of roadway work zones, review all crash reports, review road opening permit applications, review block party permit applications, inspect child car seats, review soliciting and parade applications, investigate and oversee rotation wrecker and taxi applicants. Traffic Safety officers also investigate all motor vehicle accidents.

The entire Piscataway Police Department works to protect the town's residents and all visitors of Piscataway. As stated before, safety is a concern for all residents in Piscataway and actually every town across the country. For this reason, the Mayor and Town Council work with the Police Department to provide equipment and funding to support the department's efforts. For example, laptop computers have been installed in all marked police vehicles. This provides the officers with the ability to instantly access pertinent information.

In addition to all their daily duties, the Police Department has established many community programs that forge a relationship with the residents and more importantly, the youth in town. The D.A.R.E. program which was established many years ago has grown from only teaching young students drug awareness and how to say "no." The program today touches on many subjects that today's students are faced with. The D.A.R.E. officer creates a bond with the class. Subjects discussed today still cover drugs and drinking and how to stay away from them. Additional subjects that are discussed revolve around gangs and making smart decisions. The program discusses how to stand up to today's peer pressure and bullies. It also discusses how to not get involved with a bad group of kids. Each class, when they complete the program, has a graduating ceremony. If you are a parent whose child has gone through the program, you most likely have witnessed the command the officer has over the students and the admiration the class has for the officer. This type of bond stays with the students far beyond graduation.

Other programs the department is involved with are "Walk Your Children to School Day," which teaches young children safety when walking to school. The department runs a Citizens Police Academy and during the summer they run a Youth Police Academy. These academies provide insight into the duties of the Police officer. The department also participates in National Night Out, which brings the town's residents out to interact and meet the members of the police department. This year, Governor Corzine chose to attend Piscataway's Night Out. He enjoyed talking with residents and munching on popcorn.

Fire and Rescue safety is also a concern for residents. Piscataway's Fire Department is entirely made up of volunteers, as well as the Rescue Squads. These volunteers answer calls at all hours of the day and night. Several years ago it was due to the great efforts of both the Piscataway Fire Department and Police Department that the Metlar-Bodine House Museum was saved from burning to the ground. This is just one example how the great people of Piscataway along with the Police Department respond to an emergency. Their response was quick and their actions were well coordinated.

There are six firehouses within Piscataway's Fire Department and there are three Rescue Squads. All are strategically located around the town. This, of course, is to provide the quickest response time which is extremely important when there is an active fire or when someone is in need of medical attention. Each Firehouse has a designated district in town that they cover. If, however, a situation requires additional help, the departments will call upon other firehouses in town for assistance.

When a person joins the Piscataway Fire Department they are required to go through extensive training at the Middlesex County Fire Academy. The volunteer must past the course before becoming an active member of their firehouse. This training is for the safety of the volunteer and for the knowledge they need to act quickly in a dangerous situation.

The Town Council and Mayor commend the volunteers for their dedication and the sacrifice they make to provide the town with the peace of mind that if an emergency occurs, help will definitely be there! For this reason, the township provides each of the six firehouses and three rescue squads with the equipment required to respond to any type of emergency. When the town had a tremendous rain storm several years ago, there was flooding all along River Road and other areas in town. The fire department spent hours assisting the police department with evacuating residents, rescuing stranded drivers and blocking off roads that were completely flooded.

A great town is a safe town. Providing necessary equipment to the Police Department, the Fire Department and the Rescue Squads is necessary to achieve the peace of mind we all want in our town. We want our children to feel safe playing in the yard or at the local park. We want our seniors to feel safe traveling around the town and we want each resident to rest easy at night knowing that if an emergency should arise, it will be taken care of by fantastic, professional members of these fine departments.

The Mayor and Town Council pledge to continue to support these important Departments. They will always be receptive to each of the Departments' needs. By doing so, they will meet the needs of each of Piscataway's residents.