Montville Township Police Department celebrates 100 years
Morris County Honors Department’s Centennial of Service
MONTVILLE TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Morris County) — The Morris County Board of County Commissioners joined local and county officials in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Montville Township Police Department during a ceremony held last week at police headquarters, exactly one century after the department’s formal establishment on July 11, 1925.
Commissioner Director Tayfun Selen and Commissioner Thomas Mastrangelo presented a formal resolution of honor to Chief Andrew Caggiano, recognizing the department’s century of service and congratulating the chief on his recent appointment as president of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police.
“For 100 years, the Montville Police Department has fulfilled its promise to serve, and I have every confidence it will continue to do so in the years ahead,” said Mastrangelo, a Montville resident.
Additional honors were delivered by Morris County Sheriff James Gannon, Prosecutor Robert Carroll, County Clerk Ann Grossi and Montville Mayor Matthew Kayne. Former Montville police chiefs Carl DeBacco and Richard Cook were also in attendance.
“The Montville Police Department represents the very best of public service. Their commitment to professionalism, safety and community partnership sets an example for law enforcement across the county,” said Selen.
The department’s origins date back to the early 1920s when Russ Hilbert served as the township’s first special officer and constable with support from the New Jersey State Police. The first official logbook was created on Aug. 11, 1939, when Hilbert became the department’s first chief, serving until 1946. He was succeeded by Officer Frank Jackowitz.
The agency initially operated from the building now known as the Montville Senior House, where the original jail cell still remains, before relocating to its current 18,000-square-foot facility on Route 202.
Throughout its history, the department has steadily expanded, establishing a full-time dispatch desk in 1964, a Detective Bureau in 1965, and a Community Policing Unit in 1988 under Chief DeBacco, which introduced the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program to local schools.
Today, the department includes 41 sworn officers, four special officers, and specialized units including patrol, detective, traffic and school resource officers.
The centennial celebration featured a tour of the police facility, a K-9 demonstration, and lunch provided by Rails Steakhouse.
