< Back

Division Commander - Captain David Harkins

The Patrol Division is the largest organizational subdivision of the Gloucester Township Police Department. The Patrol Division is comprised of five platoons each commanded by a Lieutenant Watch Commander and two patrol squads each supervised by a Sergeant Deputy Watch Commanders. The Patrol Division is commanded by a Captain who oversees all uniformed patrol officers which includes the five patrol platoons and numerous sub units that offer a variety of services.

Officers assigned to the Patrol Division work rotating shift work requiring them to work overnight and late evening hours regularly. The majority of officers from each platoon are assigned to a geographical area known as a sector. Gloucester Township is comprised of five patrol sectors. The number of officers assigned to each patrol sector varies and is based on data and workload analysis so that an appropriate number of officers can be deployed when and where the need is greatest.

Additional Platoon Officers are assigned other areas of responsibility during each tour of duty or "watch." These areas include the Watch Desk Position, Shift Investigator Position, and surveillance or undercover patrol/anti-crime operations.

  • The Watch Desk position is located at Police Headquarters. This officer assists citizens when they report an incident or seek assistance at Police Headquarters. This officer also assists with prisoner security, fingerprinting, building security, prisoner processing, and fielding calls from civilians regarding criminal incidents or police related questions.
  • The Shift Investigator assists sector officers with crime scene processing, evidence gathering, obtaining victim and witness statements, and in-depth report writing and documentation.
  • Patrol Officers are often assigned to specific areas for crime surveillance, undercover operations, or plainclothes patrol where gathered intelligence has indicated this type of proactive patrol will assist in suppressing and solving criminal incidents.

Patrol Officers account for the vast majority of citizen contacts in their role as first responders. They further protect our community through their patrol function which assists in reducing the opportunity for perpetrators to commit crime or other unlawful behavior.

Some major responsibilities of the patrol officer include:

  • Responding to calls for service
  • Traffic control and enforcement
  • Crash Investigation
  • Business security
  • Arrest of offenders
  • Crime Investigation and Report Writing
  • Medical Assists
  • Warrant and Restraining Order Service

In addition to the five platoons, additional officers are assigned to various sub-units within the Patrol Division.

These units include:

  • The Traffic Safety Unit
  • K-9 Unit
  • School Resource Officer Unit
  • Honor Guard Team
  • Special Response Team
  • D.A.R.E Unit
  • Police Instructors—A cadre of Patrol Officers are certified instructors in areas such as Firearms Training, Handcuffing, Defensive Tactics, Blood Borne Pathogens, First Responder, CPR/Defibrillator, Domestic Violence Procedures, Incident Command System, Various Computer Applications and Programs.

K - 9 Unit

The Gloucester Township Police Department K-9 Unit was established in 1999 by Chief Edward Smith. From its inception this unit has distinguishing themselves as one of the top police K-9 Unit's in the state. Currently, our unit consists of three K-9 teams.

Patrolman James Kaelin has been with the K-9 Unit since 1999, he currently serves with K-9 Brutus. Patrolman Kaelin is certified as a Supervising Police Canine Trainer. K-9 Brutus is a Certified Patrol and Narcotics dog. Patrolman Mark Pickard has been with the K-9 Unit since 1999, he currently serves with K-9 Schultz. Patrolman Pickard is also a Certified Police Canine Trainer. K-9 Schultz is a Certified Patrol and Narcotics dog. Patrolman James Clark has been with the K-9 Unit since 2008, he currently serves with K-9 Nero. K-9 Nero is a Certified Patrol and Narcotics dog.

The Canine Unit is a proud member of the United States Police Canine Association Region #15. This Unit has been honored by U.S.P.C.A and FOP for several outstand Patrol and Narcotics jobs.

They are available to conduct field and building searches, tracking and narcotics searches. This Unit also has two Certified Police Canine Trainers for initial Patrol and Specialty training. They also conduct in-service training for several Police Departments throughout the State. Requests for canine service should be made to Gloucester Township Police Communications at 856-228-4500. Request for training should be made directly to the K-9 Unit at 856-784-6502 or .