Fifty years ago, the Hopewell Township Police Department became a full-time police department operating 24 hours a day.
The department’s history and continued service to Hopewell Township and Hopewell Borough was celebrated at Woolsey Park by former and current Hopewell Township police officers, families, and residents on June 8.
“I’m just thankful for all the past chiefs and all the past officers that came out today to come show their support,” Police Chief James Rosso said. “I’m fortunate enough to be able to lead this department at this point and the guys and the girls that work here are the best officers anyone can ask for.”
Rosso said it was uplifting to see the turnout of former chiefs and police officers since they have built a family atmosphere in the police department over the last year.
“We pride ourselves on being a community police department,” he said. “I’m hoping that everyone that came out today understands we are here for them, we serve them, and we are dedicated to everyone that lives in the township and comes through Hopewell Valley on a daily basis.”
During the afternoon celebration, the department showcased some of the new programs established this year such as a K-9 police vehicle. Rosso explained that the department is exploring the option and will have a K-9 by the end of the summer to go into the program.
The drone unit was also on display as a unit that helps the police department in search and rescue efforts.
“The technology is incredible and already has helped us already in multiple occasions,” Rosso said, saying he is “ecstatic” at where they are as a police department. “So, we are showcasing some of the newer programs we are offering these days and how far advance we have come from 50 years ago.”
Hopewell Township Fire District No. 1 joined the celebration with fire engines and vehicles on display. Those in attendance were able to take turns going up and down in a tower ladder bucket. Public Works vehicles were also on display.
Throughout the afternoon attendees were able to meet and talk with township police officers and learn about the department’s new initiatives and drone unit. They played cornhole, children bounced around in a bouncy house, food surrounded the event, and live music was performed in the bandshell.
“I have to say I could not be prouder to live in this community with the police department Chief Rosso, Lt. [Louis] Vastola, and Lt. [Joseph] Maccaquano are building,” Mayor Courtney Peters-Manning said, adding that she believes the community is responding to the department’s outreach. “I think they are focused on protecting the community, serving the community, and being a part of the community.
“I think the police department is doing a fantastic job about community outreach. The police department on social media for example is informing the public [in a] funny, and charming [way]. They have perfect balance.”
The police department currently consists of 32 police officers, six public safety dispatchers, and three support staff.
“I think events such as today are incredibly important to make sure the bonds between the community and police department are built and maintained,” Committeeman Michael Ruger said. “So many times, police officers come at the worst moments of somebody’s life.
“They come when you have had an accident, when you have had an injury, and when you have had some kind of personal disaster. To be able to talk to a police officer when it is not that kind of situation, I think is very meaningful.”
The police department was part time before they became a full-time 24 hour a day police force on July 1, 1974, according to the police department. The late Chief Matthew Maloney was the police department’s first full-time police chief, and they had part-time officers.
The New Jersey State Police (NJSP) had barracks nearby and was providing full-time police services prior to the township’s full-time force became operational. The first township department consisted of Maloney, Lt. Henry Way, 12 patrol officers and five dispatchers.
Providing police services for Hopewell Borough began in 1982 after a contract agreement was reached between the township and Hopewell Borough. The Hopewell Borough Police Department was soon disbanded.
Former Police Chief Michael Chipowsky, who served in the township police department for 35 years as a part-time special officer, a full-time patrol officer beginning in 1974, and then chief of police before retiring in 2006, explained that it was fulfilling to be at the celebration.
“… The officers who were there from the beginning or near the beginning of the full-time police department, who laid the foundation for what the department has become, were able to share stories and speak with other officers – some of whom weren’t even born yet when we started full time back then in 1974,” he said, adding whether a new officer or from the older generation, it was not hard to relate to each other. The are and were doing the same job, but differently.
Chipowsky recalled how the department had just the bare minimum to cover 24 hours a day when they started as a full-time police force.
“There was no semblance of a schedule,” he said. “You went wherever your name got plugged in. That is completely different from today where everybody knows where they are going to be from a year from now.
“But it was growing pains. There were a lot of departments that were kind of going through the same thing around the same time such as West Windsor.”
Changes over the half a century included the police force’s growth in size, implementation of the statewide 9-1-1 service, implementation of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program, implementation and use of body worn cameras and license plate readers, establishment of a drone unit, and significant upgrades to the township’s Communications Center.
“In a good way the police department is more of a community partnership where the department listens a lot more to the community needs and responds to those needs in as much of a timely manner as possible,” Chipowsky said, describing the changes over 50 years.
“Communications have changed too. Social media which did not exist, cell phones barely existed and all the technology that has come to bear, which is a good thing. But now [it is the] instantaneous response people look for and you have to be able to respond.”
