Employment

  The Princeton Police Department is now accepting applications for Police Officers.  Applications can be completed here.


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The Princeton Police Department was formed on January 1, 2013, when the Borough of Princeton and the Township of Princeton consolidated forming one Princeton. The consolidation of the Princeton's also included the former Borough and Township Police Department's merging into one police department, the Princeton Police Department. The Princeton Police Department has a very diverse complement of highly qualified officers many of whom have earned bachelor's and master's degrees.

Divisions

The Princeton Police Department is organized by the separation of three Divisions:

  • Investigative
  • Operations
  • Support Services

Within these divisions are the:

  • Detective Bureau
  • K9 Bureau
  • Patrol Bureau
  • Records Bureau
  • Safe Neighborhood Bureau
  • Traffic Bureau

The Department has identified itself as a service-oriented police department and participates in many community functions to include, including Community Night Out and the Youth Police Academy.

M‍ore Information

Learn more about the Princeton Police Department on the Facebook Page.

Recruitment Plan

View our Recruitment Plan (PDF).


Princeton Police Essential Functions

  • Accept direction and function cooperatively as one member of a unit.
  • Administer emergency first aid.
  • Administer field sobriety tests.
  • Ascend or descend stairs and ladders.
  • Balance on uneven or narrow surfaces.
  • Climb over, pull up over, and jump over obstacles.
  • Communicate effectively and coherently over telephone, walkie-talkie, or radio, initiating or responding to verbal communications.
  • Communicate effectively in court and in other formal settings.
  • Communicate effectively verbally and in writing, detailing incidents and activities of those involved.
  • Communicate effectively with individuals in an agitated or distraught condition.
  • Communicate effectively with people, including juveniles, by giving information and direction, by eliciting information, and by advising of rights, processes, and procedures.
  • Conduct visual and audio surveillance.
  • Control crowds.
  • Crawl under obstructions or in confined areas.
  • Detain individuals.
  • Detect motor vehicle violations and issue summonses.
  • Direct traffic, sometimes for long periods of time, using hand signals, flares, barricades, etc.
  • Disarm persons.
  • Drag objects or persons.
  • Effectuate a full physical custody arrest, forcible if necessary, using handcuffs and other restraints.
  • Employ defensive tactics, using balance, leverage, the concentration of power, and opponent's power.
  • Endure verbal, mental, and physical abuse, including threats, taunts, and insults to self, family, and fellow officers.
  • Exercise independent judgment in determining when there is reasonable suspicion to detain when probable cause exists to search and/or arrest, and when force may be used, and to what degree.
  • Fingerprint, photograph, and videotape, objects, and scenes.
  • Respond to situations by:
    • Assessing a situation based on that information
    • Determining what information is significant
    • Exercising independent judgment to make decisions concerning the choice of action and equipment
    • Gathering information by observation of:
      • Behavior
      • Oral communication
      • Visual inspection
  • Identify, collect, label, and preserve evidence.
  • Integrate individual activities and goals with the efforts of other members of the law enforcement community for the promotion of common goals and objectives.
  • Jump down from elevated surfaces or areas.
  • Jump or crawl through openings.
  • Lift and carry objects or persons.
  • Load, unload, aim, and fire a handgun and shotgun in day and night conditions from a variety of positions at the proficiency level required by qualification standards.
  • Maintain mental alertness and readiness to act, even during periods of calm and inactivity.
  • Mediate disputes and confrontations with hostile and potentially violent individuals.
  • Observe, record, recall, and report incidents and information.
  • Operate a fire extinguisher.
  • Operate a motor vehicle, during the day or at night, in emergency situations, at high rates of speed, on the open road, or in congested traffic, in unsafe conditions caused by factors such as:
    • Fog
    • Ice
    • Rain
    • Smoke
    • Snow
  • Operate radar equipment.
  • Perform law enforcement patrol functions, on foot, in a vehicle, or on a bicycle.
  • Perform rescue and support functions at the scenes of accidents, emergencies, and disasters.
  • Perform searches of people, vehicles, buildings, and large outdoor areas, which may involve seeing, feeling, and detecting objects, and walking for long periods of time.
  • Perform a variety of tasks involving different and sometimes contrasting skills in rapid succession during a short period of time.
  • Physically check buildings, including doors and windows, to ensure they are secure.
  • Prepare written investigative and other reports, including sketches, using appropriate grammar, symbols, and mathematical computations.
  • Process arrested person, which includes examining documents, communicating verbally, and eliciting and recording information.
  • Pull objects or persons.
  • Pursue fleeing suspects, in a vehicle, on foot, or on a bicycle.
  • Push objects, vehicles, or persons.
  • Read and comprehend legal and non-legal documents, including the preparation and processing of documents such as summonses, affidavits, and warrants.
  • Remedy hazardous conditions by direct action or notification of appropriate authority or agency.
  • Restrain or subdue resisting suspects.
  • Run, sometimes sprinting at a high rate of speed for a short distance, in extreme weather conditions, in physically hazardous locations.
  • Search for missing, wanted, or lost persons and evidence.
  • Secure and evacuate persons from particular areas, using either verbal commands or the appropriate degree of physical force.
  • Secure the scene of a crime, emergency, or disaster.
  • Sit or stand for extended periods of time.
  • Stand guard at the scene of a crime, emergency, or disaster to prevent damage, loss, or injury.
  • Stop suspicious individuals and vehicles.
  • Swim.
  • Transport citizens, prisoners, and committed mental patients using handcuffs and other restraints, when appropriate.
  • Understand and follow orders, policies, and procedures.
  • Use body force to gain entrance or break through barriers.
  • Walk, sometimes for long periods of time, in extreme weather conditions, in physically hazardous locations.
  • Withstand exposure to and deal appropriately with stress involved in dealing with:
    • Antagonistic settings including hostile:
      • Behavior
      • Opinions
      • Views
    • Victims including:
      • Accident victims
      • Crime victims
      • Disaster victims
      • Their families
    • Incidents of suicide and domestic violence
  • Work overtime on non-scheduled workdays.
  • Work rotating shifts and adapt to irregular working conditions.