The NJ Police Chief Magazine Volume 24, Number 4 | Page 25

The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | April 2018
Policing in America Today: How Outside Influences Have Affected the
Police Chief’s Role in the Community
By Chief Joseph H. Eisenhardt, Jr., MPA (Ret.), Barrington Police Department
There are two careers I ever remember wanting to pursue for as long back as I can remember. The first was a trash man (which I
do not remember clearly except for reminders from my parents). As a young child I would stand out front fascinated when the
trash and garbage were collected in two separate trucks. This was way before curbside pickup of recyclables.
My initial fascination in the field of law enforcement was more toward being a medical examiner than a police officer, but that
changed quickly. 1 Police shows on TV became a favorite and I envisioned myself "on the job" someday.
When I was in 8th grade in 1971 our family was blessed with new neighbors that quickly became like family. This close
relationship still exists today and they have been like angels in watching over my Mom. 2 Jack was hired by the Police Department
in 1973 when I was a Sophomore in High School and he eventually retired as Chief in 2001. He was and will always be one of my
heroes.
Having grown up in a small town in NJ, it seemed natural to want to stay. Ironically my two sisters moved to Oklahoma and Key
Largo, FL to pursue their career goals; yet I felt the desire to serve the community my family had become a part of.
The Friday in 1981 that Chief Warren Elliott called me into his office to ask me if I could start the Police Academy on Tuesday is
still a very vivid memory. 3 Little did I realize that many years later I would have the honor of sitting in that same office for over
six years.
My background in Public Safety is diverse covering police, fire, and emergency management experiences over many years of
service. In addition, I was an Adjunct Faculty member at a Community College 4 for 10 years taking some of those experiences
into the classroom as real life examples.
Having gradually risen through the ranks in both the police department and volunteer fire department gave me the ability to learn
from these experiences in how to do things and sometimes how to not do things! I was also active in the associations that helped
me build important professional relationships some of which gave way to friendships that still exist today.
I remember waking up one day back in 2013 realizing that the career I loved for 32 years was now a part of my past. Emotions
and thoughts drifted back and forth between relief and wondering if I made the right decision, would I be missed, did I actually
make a difference ever and for anyone. These and other questions still come to mind periodically partially because I know I still
have much to offer.
One of the Police Chiefs that I worked for strove to learn something new each day and he tried to pass that on to the rest of us. I
remember him saying that included picking up the traffic law book and gleaning something new that would improve their ability
to do the job. As a lifelong avid reader, I found this was not only solid advice but easy to do. Much of what I wanted to study
involved the police of yesterday, today, and wondering about tomorrow.
One of the things I came to realize early on was that cops did not get rich unless they crossed the line into corruption. In my
young mind I idolized those men (and a few women at the time) because they worked in a calling instead of a career. The cops I
came to know and respect were the ones in our town and a neighbor who was a NJ State Trooper. Salaries were just above the
level of food stamps and they all worked second jobs.
Then in 1976, I was hired as a part time police dispatcher and a Special Officer 5 in my home town. Both of these gave me the
opportunity to become known to the department and to begin to pave the way for my career goal to materialize. By this point I
knew that 8 of the 15 officers on the department lived within a 4 block radius of me.
Like many police officers who have served and who are serving, being a police officer is in my blood. I have been to too many
funerals for police officers (and firefighters) who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. I still cry when I see a line of duty death on the
news. I am extremely proud of my calling and service to the community. What it means to be a police officer still matters to me.
And, after holding every rank in our department, my favorite rank was Chief. The office of Chief of Police still matters to me.
Travel back in time with me so we can look at some of the realities that cops faced that affected how they have been portrayed in
the history books. Travel forward from then with me so we look at how policing has changed, continues to change, and where this
all seems to be heading.
George Santayana's famous quote has been repeated often and sometimes differently than what he originally said. He said,
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it". A governing body who does not understand the critical
importance of a professional and independent police chief whose function is to demand and maintain the highest standards of
conduct from each sworn and civilian member of the department while remaining accountable to the governing body opens the
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