The Glen Rock Police Department was established in 1918 to provide full time law enforcement services to the Borough of Glen Rock, located in northwest Bergen County, New Jersey. At the time of the department’s inception, Glen Rock was a small agrarian community of approximately 4,000 people.

Between 1894 and 1918, part-time "Marshals" were hired by the community to provide law enforcement services. These marshals were issued only a handgun, nightstick and badge. They were called to duty as needed and were paid for any arrests they made. On September 1, 1918, the Glen Rock Police Department was formed with the appointment of its first full time police officer, James R. Houlihan. A former Village of Ridgewood, NJ policeman, Mr. Houlihan was named as Chief of Police and patrolled Glen Rock on a bicycle. He also used trained police dogs to locate missing persons and deter crime, a concept the department re-instituted in 1993, with the creation of a modern police canine unit.

The first police car was purchased in 1923, assisting the officers who patrolled the borough on foot. At that time, no police radios existed, and officers communicated by using telephone "call boxes" which were located at various points throughout the town. By 1928 the department had grown and now included seven officers. This number would remain constant through the 1940’s. Shortly after the beginning of World War II, a volunteer auxiliary police force was established to augment the full time police department. Still in existence today, the Glen Rock Auxiliary Police act as additional eyes and ears for the police. These auxiliary officers provide the borough with secondary patrols, and are available for emergencies, disasters, and public events requiring crowd and traffic control.

Following the Second World War, Glen Rock began to see many changes. Located approximately twenty minutes away from of New York City, and near the city of Paterson, Glen Rock was fast becoming a suburban residential community. Today, Glen Rock's 2.8 square miles are populated by approximately 12,000 residents and includes numerous business establishments. The community is a pleasant mixture of single family residences, town houses and light industry. The town is also home to a central business district, two high volume commuter railroad lines, a highly rated public school system, several park areas, and a number of different religious institutions, including an Indian Sikh temple.

As Glen Rock grew and changed, so did its police department. In 1946 a two-way radio system was installed in police headquarters as well as the departments patrol cars. This dramatically increased the police response time to the growing number of calls being received each year. As the day-to-day needs and problems of the community increased, so did the demands placed upon the police force. Increased training, additional manpower and better equipment soon became necessary. During the 1950’s, society began to recognize the need for specialized police training and Glen Rock police officers began attending formal programs conducted by the FBI, State of New Jersey, and Bergen County. This type of formal training became mandatory for all police officers throughout New Jersey in the 1960’s, and during the next decade officers began seeking college degrees in criminal justice, public administration and psychology. Today, anyone wishing to become a Glen Rock police officer is required to have a college background.

Throughout the 1950's, 60's, and 70's, manpower and equipment began to improve. More police vehicles were purchased and new lifesaving equipment accompanied officers on patrol for the first time. During the 70's, the department grew to twenty-six sworn, full-time police officers. Radar equipment for speed enforcement, and hand held portable radios for more effective communications were placed into service. In 1984, Glen Rock was one of the first police departments in Bergen County to issue semi-automatic 9mm handguns to its officers. In 1995, duty side-arms were upgraded to .40 caliber auto-pistols, a weapon that since has become a standard among law enforcement agencies. As information system technology began to emerge during the 1970's, the Glen Rock Police became involved in a countywide movement aimed at computerizing criminal records as part of a larger federal program. During the late 1980's, an in-house computer based record-keeping system was implemented. This concept continues today, with officers from the department’s Information Technology division, who both design and maintain our current local and wide-area network systems. In April of 2002 the Department replaced it's long outdated MDT, in-car computer system and purchased five Mobile Data Computers.  This state-of-the-art system has placed the department at the forefront of the technology curve. The specialized, touch screen computers allows officers on patrol instant access to FBI criminal and wanted person files, as well as several other state and countywide law enforcement databases, including New Jersey motor vehicle records. This system has resulted in the detention of numerous wanted persons and other violators found on the streets in our community.  In 2003, the Department added two additional mobile units as well as a handheld device that works like a cell phone, but can access all the criminal justice databases and can be used throughout the tri-state area.  As the system develops, the department is anticipating that officers will be able to even write their reports in the cars and submit them over a wireless network, thus keeping them on the street where they are needed.

Currently, the Glen Rock Police Department consists of twenty-one full-time police officers, six auxiliary police officers, three full-time administrative police aids, and a staff of part-time civilian clerks who maintain the police records and reception desk until midnight every day.  Sworn police personnel are divided into two divisions, consisting of a patrol section and a detective bureau. The command staff presently includes the Chief of police, Captain, and one Lieutenant. There are four patrol Sergeants, one Detective Sergeant and one Detective. Several of our officers also provide specialized services including, traffic safety, DARE instruction, domestic violence investigation, K-9 operations, computer and information technology services, as well as firearms training and radar instruction, in addition to their normal patrol assignments. Police dispatch and 911 services are provided by the NorthWest Bergen Central Dispatch located in Ridgewood, NJ. In January 1999, the department instituted an enhanced emergency medical program under which all members of the patrol force were trained in the use of portable cardiac defibrillation units known as AED’s. These units were obtained through a project developed by the Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, and are used by trained personnel to start the heartbeat of a person suffering from cardiac arrest.

The Glen Rock Police Department receives approximately 1300 calls-for-service each month. Routine calls involve a police response to a wide range of incidents, and may include crimes such as burglary, theft, fraud, domestic violence, drug and alcohol offenses, disputes, as well as trauma and medical problems, motor vehicle accidents, or public disturbances. A substantial portion of our time is also devoted to those quality-of-life issues which are important to our citizenry, such as code enforcement, traffic safety, and the provision of other community-oriented police services. Much like the rest of the nation, Glen Rock has experienced a reduction in crime, and the officers of the Glen Rock Police Department look forward to the continuance of this trend. In keeping with this, we have dedicated ourselves to assisting and supporting the community, and to keeping the Borough of Glen Rock a great place to live and work.

History compiled by Sgt. Dean Ackermann

Other Historical Photos

Officer investigating a still found in a resident's basement
Circa 1929

The Central Business District at Rock & Glen - Circa 1955 (Looking Northwest)
Notice the Foot Officer in the foreground with the bicyclists?

An aerial photo showing the future locations of the current Fleet Bank, Motorola, Opici Winery and numerous office parks on Harristown Road (West)  - Circa 1969 - Also visible is the Walsh Pool Complex (upper right), the Railroad tracks and State Highway 208.

A 1969 newspaper photo showing then Police Officer Jay Green (who retired as a Sgt in 1988) having a 75th Anniversary of the Borough patch being sew onto his uniform my Mrs. Mabel Hubschmitt.

The Glen Rock PD's Pistol Team in 1948 - L-R Officer Neil Meyer, Officer Neil Finn, Chief Sam Park and Officer Daniel Ryan

Looking North on Maple Ave from Glen Ave. toward the railroad overpass -Circa 1954 

A West looking view of Newcombe's Gulf Station taken in 1953 at the intersection of Rock Road and Glen Ave.

Sgt. Robert Kerrigan (L) Officer Bertram Kerrigan and Captain William Hardenberg (R)-1958

Lt. Steven Cherry (L), Secretary Alice Baker, Disp. Janet Nackson, Disp. Marilyn Meder, Capt. Bertram Kerrigan (R) - 1988

The Glen Rock Municipal Complex in 1957 that is home to the Borough's government offices as well as the police department. To the right and behind the building is where the fire headquarters would be built. 

Also visible in the photo is Kilroy's Market (middle left),  the former White's Garage (Now Kilroy's warehouse in the upper center) and the Esso gas station (now Maple Rock Exxon in the very top of the photo)