River Vale Police Department
History of The River Vale Police Department
On April 3, 1930, the River Vale Township Committee passed an ordinance creating the River Vale Police Department. The ordinance called for the appointment of a Chief of Police and as many special officers as may be required for the enforcement of the law. The annual salary for the Chief of Police was $1.00. The special officers were volunteers and were not salaried employees of the Township. At the time, the population of River Vale, according to the U.S. Census, was 871.
Exactly nine years later, on April 3, 1939, David N. Roberge was appointed the first permanent Chief of Police of the Township (salary unknown). The first official records of the police department began being recorded on that date. Chief Roberge was the only police officer and was assisted by special police officers. The police officers at this time were actually called "marshals." The old police blotters contain the calls that the police department responded to. They included investigating motor vehicle accidents, burglaries, gambling houses, suspicious person, assaults, missing persons, dogs killing chickens (there were numerous farms in town), nude swimmers at the Old Dock swimming hole, etc. When "undesirable persons" were found in town, they were driven home - as far away as New York City! In 1944, Nelson Roberge succeeded his father as Chief of Police.
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