West Windsor Police Department

West Windsor Police Department headquarters and Municipal Court, October 2019.

Historical Overview

Law and order have been facts of life in West Windsor since its first settlement. The earliest records of West Windsor Township show the election of Constables whose job it was to attend to the needs of a rural society. Theft of farm animals, produce, or equipment; public drunkenness, and "rowdyism" were presumably the most frequent situations the Constables had to deal with. This would continue to be a reality in old, agrarian West Windsor until the early 1900s.

With the advent of the automobile, however, came new needs. As roads were paved around the turn of the century,[1] cars allowed enterprising criminals to travel farther to commit crimes. Local police constables, whose jurisdiction was limited to their township, could not pursue criminals escaping across municipal borders. Thus, in 1921, New Jersey passed legislation to authorize a new state police department.[2] Colonel Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Sr. was appointed its first Superintendent.[3] Schwarzkopf also owned the property at 3440 Brunswick Pike in West Windsor (now Weber's Kennels)[4] and was a lead investigator during the infamous Lindberg baby kidnapping of 1932.[5] His son, Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., was a United States army general who led all coalition forces in the Persian Gulf War.[6] He is said to have spent many a happy day at their his father's property on Route 1.[7]

For several decades, West Windsor was under the jurisdiction of both its part-time constables and the New Jersey State Police. Substations in Princeton and Hightstown were each responsible for roughly half of the Township. Some state troopers were even housed in West Windsor itself: from 1930 to 1946, they made their home on the Gabel family property, on the southeast corner of Route 1 and Meadow Roads. Troopers were also stationed in a house at the corner of Alexander Road and Route 1.[8]

Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf, Sr.

In 1960, West Windsor's part-time constables consisted of Chief Matt Mathes, who operated out of his home, along with Constable Wesley Holman and Special Officers Wendell Beacher, Paul Blaney, and Jack Robbins. A member of the Township Committee was Police Commissioner, who coordinated patrols and was liaison with the New Jersey State Police.[9]

On December 29, at a Township Committee meeting, William Stuart reported that criminal violations had increased 67 percent and accidents 10 percent over the past several years in New Jersey. He therefore recommended that a full-time police force - the West Windsor Police Department - be established. Following written and oral tests for fifteen candidates, and subsequent interviews of the five finalists, a man named Francis J. Maguire was chosen to be West Windsor's first full-time Chief of Police, with duties to start January 1, 1968.[10]

Maguire, formerly a lieutenant with the Princeton Borough Police Department, was known to be tough but fair with a strong work ethic. He expected perfection and professionalism from his officers. Although his first two police officers had previous experience, he usually preferred to hire people with no previous police experience so he could mold them to his image for West Windsor.[11]

The establishment of a West Windsor Police Department, with only three officers, meant long hours and weekend work. Fortunately, some of the Constables stayed on to help out on weekends. Constable Ron Black acted as Court Officer when the Municipal Court was in session.[12]

West Windsor Police Department, c. 1969-70. L to R: Ronald Black, Bruce Walters, Frank Cox, Al Bankert, Clifford Maurer, Frank Pannick, Larry Hall, Frank Maguire.

In 1960, West Windsor's part-time constables consisted of Chief Matt Mathes, who operated out of his home, along with Constable Wesley Holman and Special Officers Wendell Beacher, Paul Blaney, and Jack Robbins.

In the early years, there was no police department headquarters, so a portion of the old Town Hall in Dutch Neck was renovated for their use. There was no jail in that old building, so criminals were often handcuffed to furniture and even radiators. The Department remained there until the 1970s, when the present Municipal Building was built. They moved into the present police headquarters in 1994.[13]

Frank Cox was promoted to Sergeant in January of 1970. He was promoted to Chief in 1980 upon the retirement of Frank Maguire[14] and served as Chief for the next 21 years. During his leadership, the WWPD hired Sam Dyson as West Windsor's first African American police officer. Dyson started the Youth Academy program in West Windsor in 2006. He put together a lesson plan, including physical fitness tests, crime scene and accident investigations, and first aid practice, to give kids a taste of police work and to provide them with a fun, bonding experience. “They got to see that we are all people, and all the kids they were with, they are just like each other…What I did for the community, I did because I like to bring the police and the community together.” In 2022, Nilah Montgomery of the Historical Society interviewed Sam; CLICK HERE to watch the interview.[15]

Samuel Dyson.

Cox was succeeded by Joseph Pica, just weeks after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.[16] Pica, in turn, was succeeded by Robert Garofalo in May of 2017.[17]

The West Windsor Police Department serves myriad roles in West Windsor beyond law enforcement - from domestic violence responses to a Police Youth Academy to "Operation Blue Angel" (assisting senior citizens to live alone), animal control, emergency preparedness, internet literacy, and much more. They now serve a township of tens of thousands and respond to numerous calls annually.

Although West Windsor's law enforcement has evolved dramatically over the centuries - from lone sheriffs and constables addressing agricultural theft to a force of 50 officers and a myriad of community members serving a multifaceted role in the community - its importance to West Windsor has been timeless.

Joseph M. Pica

Bibliography

“To Inspect County Work at Princeton.” Trenton Sunday Advertiser, April 14, 1907. Mentions paving of Lower Harrison Street.
"State Police Needed." Trenton Evening Times, March 11, 1921.
"Newark Veteran for Police Chief." Trenton Evening Times, June 3, 1921.
Arthur & Norman Inc., English, Ella. “Indenture.” Windsor, 1930. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 664 Page 517.
"No Ransom Ever Demanded for Return of Lindy's Baby." Trenton Evening Times, March 7, 1932.
“Norman Schwarzkopf.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Accessed May 14, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Norman-Schwarzkopf.
“Our History.” Weber’s Training School. Accessed May 14, 2023. https://weberstrainingschool.com/history/.
“Broadside,” Spring 2000. Historical Society of West Windsor newsletter exploring the history of the West Windsor Police Department.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Montgomery, Nilah, and Samuel Dyson. Sam Dyson - West Windsor Police Department’s First Black Officer. Personal, February 3, 2022.
“West Windsor Township Names New Police Chief.” Planet Princeton, March 2, 2017. https://planetprinceton.com/2017/03/01/west-windsor-township-names-new-police-chief/.
Ibid.
“Police Home.” West Windsor Police Department. Accessed May 14, 2023. https://www.westwindsornj.org/police/.