Raritan Township Police Department

The objective of the Patrol Division is to protect life and property through proactive and reactive patrols of Raritan Township.  The officers assigned to the Patrol Division enforce New Jersey criminal and motor vehicle laws, conduct criminal investigations, and respond to the needs of the community in a variety of emergency and non-emergency situations in order to improve the quality of life for the residents and visitors in Raritan Township.

The Patrol Division is the largest and most visible division in the police department and consists of four patrol squads.  Each patrol squad consists of six officers:  four patrol officers, one corporal, and one sergeant.  Each patrol squad works days, nights, weekends, and holidays on a rotating schedule.

Every patrol officer is certified in CPR and the use of an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED).  Patrol officers carry AEDs and respond quickly to intervene at cardiac arrest calls.  Additionally, each patrol officer is equipped with Narcan, the medication which can reverse the effects of an opiate overdose.

Most likely, the first contact you will have with our police department will be with an officer assigned to the Patrol Division.  Officers in the Patrol Division handle a wide variety of calls for service.  A typical week of calls may consist of investigations for robberies, burglaries, assaults, child abuse, domestic violence, thefts, criminal mischief, suspicious vehicles and persons, motor vehicle crashes, drunk drivers, or drug possession.  Additionally, patrol officers routinely respond to burglar alarms, fire alarms, medical aid calls, 9-1-1 calls, noise complaints, and assist disabled vehicles on our roadways.

Officers assigned to the Patrol Division receive additional training in domestic violence investigation, use of force guidelines, vehicle pursuit requirements, drunk driving enforcement, narcotics interdiction, CPR, and emergency medical training.

The Patrol Division has marked patrol cars, sport utility vehicles, unmarked cars, and bicycles that are utilized for patrol purposes.

The Patrol Division is commanded by Lieutenant Joe Canonica, who can be reached at 908-782-8889.