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The Operations Division is the largest branch of
the the Voorhees Township Police Department. The division is
administered by Lt. Francis Bialecki. The Operations Division
consist of four sections as described below.
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| Patrol |
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Uniformed Patrol is a section of
the Operations Division within the Voorhees Township Police
Department. The Operations Division is administrated by Lt.
Francis Bialecki. There are currently thirty-two (32)
uniformed police officers and four (4) Sergeants who are charged
with the responsibility of the uniformed patrol function. They
are broken up into four (4) platoons and they work twelve (12) hour
rotating shifts. Some of the tools that are used to enhance
our ability to provide a service to the community are bicycle
patrol, canine teams, unmarked patrol vehicles, mobile data
terminals, and radar trailers.
As in most municipal police
agencies, uniformed patrol is indeed, the backbone of the
department. These uniformed officers provide the front line
defense that ensures the safety of our residents and visitors to our
community. Please keep in mind that this is done with the
utmost emphasis on the theory of community involved policing.
Their responsibilities include,
but are not limited to, highly visible residential and commercial
patrolling in marked police vehicles, the enforcement of local
ordinances and state laws, traffic safety and enforcement, and
community policing projects.
The officers assigned to Uniformed
Patrol pride themselves in being professional, courteous, and
helpful. If you have any information or questions, please feel free
to contact an officer that you see patrolling in your neighborhood
or business area. You can also call 856-428-5400 to make a report.
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| Bicycle Patrol |
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The Bicycle Patrol Unit is a sub section of the
Operations Division. The Voorhees Township bicycle patrol unit began
patrolling on July 4, 1994. The department’s decision to
implement the specialized unit was due to an increase in calls.
At the same time, a grant became available through the State of New
Jersey known as the Safe and Secure Communities Program. The
department identified specific areas within the township that needed
supplemental patrolling. Under the guidelines of the program,
“targeted” areas where chosen for the specialized unit. The
Bicycle Unit also met a special necessity for community policing and
the crime prevention program. The officers assigned to this
unit received specialized training such as Professional Conduct
training, Cultural and Sensitivity training and Bias Incident
Response training. Some officers attended a special school
that was sponsored by the Philadelphia Police Department while
others attended another school sponsored by the University of
Pennsylvania and the International Police Mountain Bike Association.
The bike officers currently work with the Voorhees Township DARE and
Crime Prevention Unit. They perform special presentations at
all Voorhees Township schools. They also lecture youth and
scout groups within the township. They focus there lectures on
bicycle safety and the importance of wearing bicycle helmets.
Patrolling with a bicycle has many advantages
over a patrol car. An officer on a bike tends to be more
versatile since they can patrol in areas that a patrol vehicle
normally cannot travel. The public seem to be receptive toward
officers on a bike, thus giving the officers the ability to interact
with the public more frequently. The bike officer has a key
advantage known as “stealth patrolling”. They can ride quietly
and virtually go undetected. Another advantage is that the
public has the ability to interact with a bicycle officer much
easier than they would with an officer in a patrol vehicle. In
the past, the officers of the bicycle unit have made various
apprehensions and have prevented crimes that normally would have
occurred. Drunk drivers, drug offenders and individuals who
have attempted to vandalize public and private properties have all
been prosecuted thanks to the efforts of the Bicycle Patrol Unit.
If anyone is interested in finding out more about the Voorhees
Township Bicycle Patrol Unit, please contact the department at (856)
428-5400 or simply flag down a bike officer while he or she is on
patrol.
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| K9 Unit |
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The Voorhees Twp. Police Department has always
been a leader in the law enforcement community when it comes to a
Police Canine Unit. The Voorhees Twp. Police Canine Unit has been in
affect since the mid 1960's and started under Chief Walter White
with two patrol dog teams. The first two dog handlers were
Earl Odd Sr. (retired Chief of Police) and Bob Hanacek Sr. (retired
Deputy Chief of Police). A short time later, Jack Prettyman
(current Deputy Chief of Police) was assigned to the canine unit
when an opening became available. A training Facility
was constructed behind Police Headquarters where the officers and
their partners honed their skills for patrol work. Voorhees
Twp. Police even hosted the first East Coast Police Dog Trial for
the United States Canine Association. Here is where the
history of the Voorhees Twp. Police Canine unit started.
The current canine unit, under the direction of
Chief Keith F. Hummel, is larger and more diverse then it has ever
been. The unit consists of two dog teams trained in patrol
work. Chief Hummel has shown great support for the canine unit
by making training a priority and selecting the very best schools
available.
These groups of officers and their K-9 partners
have been responsible for the seizure of pounds and pounds of
illegal narcotics and the capture of many suspects in the commission
of crimes. They have served police departments in the entire
Camden County area and surrounding counties. They have
competed in several Regional and National Field Trials sponsored by
the United States Police Canine Association (U.S.P.C.A.) and have
been awarded top honors for their achievements.
The Voorhees Twp. Police Department was the proud
host of the U.S.P.C.A. Region #15, Police Dog I Trial in the spring
of 1999. This regional competition attracted close to (50)
canine patrol teams from five (5) different states. This
weekend event is just one example of the hard work and dedication
that is commonplace for the members of the current canine unit.
Since the mid 1960's, Voorhees Twp. Police
Department has maintained their commitment to its canine unit.
There has only been five (5) years out of thirty-five (35) that this
department has not had a canine team available to assist the police
officers and the residents of Voorhees Twp. The canine unit
has seen nine (9) different canine teams in its history and will
continue to serve the officers and residents of Voorhees Twp. with
great pride and tenacity.
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| School Resource |
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| The school resource officers are
another section of the Operations Division. Two uniformed
officers are assigned to the Eastern Regional High School and one
uniformed officer is assigned to the Voorhees Middle School.
Officers assigned to these schools are charged with the
responsibility of safe guarding the students, teachers and school
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