Contact
Officer in Charge, Captain John daSilva
Emergency: 9-1-1 (TDD/TTY Capable)
Non-Emergencies: 908-654-9800 (24/7)
Message from Officer in Charge, Captain John daSilva
The Union County Police Department serves a community of more than 500,000 citizens. County Police employees span a wide range of Ethnicity, Race, Creed, Gender, Orientation, Marital Status, and Religious beliefs. Our diversity enables the Employees, Officers, Detectives, and Supervisors to provide high quality Law Enforcement services while connecting with our community. . This Department utilizes modern policing techniques, technology, and specialized equipment to enforce the Laws of the State of New Jersey and the Ordinances of the County of Union.
The Patrol & Operations Division conducts 24/7 high visibility patrol, conducts motor vehicle and criminal investigations on County owned properties, facilities, including over 6,000 acres of parks & recreation areas. The Union County Police has County wide jurisdiction, and assists the Local Police, while enforcing Laws and Motor Vehicle violations. The Traffic Enforcement Unit has Accident Reconstruction Investigators, and State Certified Weighmasters for Heavy Truck Enforcement. The Child Safety Seat Unit assists citizens with safety education, and the proper installation of child car seats at a Garwood location and at special events. The County Police provides for security and operations planning in handling many large scale public and private events held every year.
The Investigations Division conducts investigations into all types of incidents, crimes, and ordinance violations. Investigations are often initiated by this Division. Other cases are Patrol initiated and are further investigated. Detectives conduct and continue Investigations bringing these cases to a resolution with compassion and professionalism. The Ballistics Unit has certified Investigators that accept firearms and ballistic materials. These Investigators analyze and test these items, often resulting in furthering a criminal investigation, and assisting in the prosecution of firearms related crimes.
The Administration Division handles the purchase of specialized equipment. Other duties include scheduling and directing in service training, accreditation management, Police Academy liaison and new hire management/field training. Records Bureau provides for record management and liaisons with Municipal and Superior Court as well as many other agencies. Internal Affairs/ Professional Standards and training are supervised and monitored by this Division Commander.
In conjunction with the above mentioned Police Divisions, Shared Services are a main mission for the Union County Police. The County Police assist the 21 Union County Towns, Union County Sheriff’s Office, and Union County Prosecutors Office. The County Police provides supplemental Patrol assistance, Bomb Squad regional response, swift water rescue, translation assistance, Social Services Security, Emergency Services response, short and long term special assignments, Accident reconstruction, Heavy Truck Enforcement, Ballistics lab, Child Safety Seats, Union County SWAT, Union County Emergency Response Team assignment, ATV/UTV/drone searches and much more. In 2023, the Union County Police will partner with the NJ Attorney General’s Office, and the Union County Prosecutor’s Office in a pilot program. UCPD will participate in the ARRIVE Together program. ARRIVE is an initiative wherein a Crisis Intervention Team certified Police Officer will partner with a mental health screener. Together, the plain clothed Officer and mental health screener will respond to assist citizens at risk anywhere in Union County.
In summary, the Union County Police Department offers a vast array of services for the citizens of Union County. County Police Employees strive to provide the best in public services to our communities. A large part of our success in our Protect and Serve mission is that this Department has a very diverse workforce. Our Strength as a Policing Agency is that our employees are a reflection of the Community we serve. We look forward to serving you. Thank you for your interest.
Regards,
Captain John daSilva
Officer in Charge
Union County Police Department