'Commitment to Excellence' Marks Police Department's 50th Anniversary

A cold, rainy mid-September afternoon couldn’t slow the festivities as residents, dignitaries and family members came to celebrate the Washington Township Police Department’s 50th Anniversary.

More than 100 attendees showed their support of the current force, now with 28 members, at a ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 13 at police headquarters that showcased the department’s longstanding tradition and excellence.

Originating with two paid officers in 1964, Chief Charles Wall and patrolman George Kluetz, the squad had one car that wasn’t even marked, Kluetz told the crowd during the ceremony. At the time, the two-man force was responding to 56 calls per month in a town with around 3,300 residents. Kluetz would later succeed Wall as the department’s leader, and is still the longest-serving police chief in the department’s history after retiring in 1995.

Fast forward half a century, and the current police department responds to approximately 2,100 calls per month for a town with nearly 19,000 residents.

Once the original department grew to five members, it was able to incorporate a midnight shift and provide round-the-clock protection.

Assemblyman Anthony Bucco read a resolution on behalf of the state’s legislature regarding the police department’s commitment to excellence. That commitment was reverberated by other guest speakers, including Washington Township Mayor Ken Short, who read a proclamation and reminded residents the municipality was considered the fourth safest in New Jersey last year.

Current Chief Michael Bailey touched on how the department’s responsibilities have grown during his tenure as top cop, from overseeing more security protocols in the school district to a shared service agreement between Washington Township and Califon, that now has the local department patrolling the Hunterdon County town.

The two-hour long ceremony couldn’t be accomplished without the help of many in the community, Lt. Mark Niemynski noted, including Ort Farms, which donated and created the podium for the event, the Junior Women’s Club, which helped serve food to attendees, and the Chester Township, Mt. Olive, and Lebanon Township police departments who were covering Washington Township and Califon Borough during that time frame so all of the department’s officers could partake.