Barnegat Police Department Reveals 2021 Annual Report

BARNEGAT-MANAHAWKIN, NJ — The Barnegat Police Department has released their inaugural 2021 Annual Report, showcasing the highlights and statistics of the past year.

"The annual report highlights how the Barnegat Police Department continues to add value to the service community far outside of the traditional responsibilities of law enforcement and order maintenance," Chief Keith Germain said.

The report details important events that occurred in 2021, showcasing different departments and events. One of the things achieved in 2021 highlighted in the report is their Neighborhood Policing model.

“There's no doubt that the Neighborhood Policing model that we embraced last year is already paying dividends and having a positive impact on our ability to keep Barnegat one of the safest communities in Ocean County,” Germain said in the report.

The report says that Barnegat was found to be the safest city in Ocean County as done by an independent survey. The department was proud to report that officers were able to peacefully resolve and/or effectively de-escalate 99.99% of their calls.

"Facing more hostile and less compliant individuals, our officers continued to demonstrate the highest-levels of professional skill in maintaining a historically low crime rate while using force in only 30 of their nearly 21,000 calls for service," Germain said.

Their Neighborhood Policing model places officers in different zones to work in regularly, to return to days where residents and officers knew each other by name, the report said.

Other highlights of the report include innovations and programs within the department, as well as statistics about crime in 2021. You can view the entire report here.