Meet Hillsborough’s New Police Chief

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — There’s a new chief in town and his name is Mike McMahon. McMahon was promoted as Hillsborough’s Police Chief following Darren Powell’s retirement.

"I am excited," McMahon said of being the new chief. "I’ve worked hard and am definitely prepared. I respect the officers in our department. They are doing a great job every day. The media portrayal of law enforcement is not always positive but they continue to serve our community with professionalism."

McMahon was appointed to the chief position in July and began serving on Aug. 1. He was sworn in by Mayor Frank DelCore during the Aug. 13 meeting.

Along with Powell, Lt. Michael Fitzpatrick, and Captain Charles Boyle retired as of Aug. 1 from the Hillsborough Township Police Department. McMahon expects more positions to open up over the next five years as more officers approach retirement. The department currently has 54 officers.

"It’s an exciting time as there are a lot of opportunities for officers to move up," McMahon said due to current and upcoming retirements.

McMahon has served with Hillsborough since 1997 where he began as a patrol officer. Along the way he was promoted to Corporal and Sergeant before serving at Lieutenant for the past two years.

Working his way up the ladder will help McMahon to serve as a better chief.

"That’s how you really grow, you become well-rounded and learn about the different areas of what each department does, McMahon said. "I have a better understanding of what everyone does."

Looking forward, McMahon wants to focus on improving traffic safety in town.

"Traffic safety is always a big issue here," McMahon said. "There is a lot of construction with the Route 206 bypass and a lot of accidents. We will do all we can to promote traffic safety and decrease crashes."

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