[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 40 (Thursday, March 8, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E495]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE TO CHESTER TOWNSHIP POLICE DEPARTMENT

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                      HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 8, 2007

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Chester 
Township Police Department in the Township of Chester, Morris County, 
New Jersey, a vibrant community I am proud to represent! The good 
citizens of Chester Township are celebrating their Police Department's 
50th Anniversary.
  The Chester Township Police Department was formally organized in 1957 
with the hiring of Edward M. Strait. As the first full time police 
officer, he set out to organize a well-trained and regulated 
association of part time volunteer officers to assist him in his 
duties. Patrolman Strait was named the department's first Chief of 
Police in early 1958 and was joined by additional full time officers in 
the mid 1960s.
  Chief Strait and his department achieved public acclaim as being both 
efficient and progressive. Special and Reserve Officers served their 
community with countless hours of volunteer time, sharing the same 
risks facing the full time officers. One hundred and five officers 
served with the reserve as members of the Chester Police Association 
through 1984 when the association was disbanded.
  The Chester Township Police Department currently consists of 14 
officers under the command of Chief Adam Schuler. The department 
provides both patrol and emergency response services. Education and 
training have always been and remain a hallmark of the Chester Township 
Police Department. Three officers have attended and graduated from the 
Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. 
Three officers have completed the Northwestern University School of 
Police Staff and command and three are graduates of the West Point 
Command and Leadership Program. Four officers have been trained by 
Northwestern University in traffic accident reconstruction, four are 
certified D.A.R.E. instructors and other officers have been trained in 
important police procedures.
  In addition to routine responsibilities, the Chester Township Police 
Department offers special programs for Chester Township residents. 
These include: firearms safety training; personal photo identification 
cards for residents who require them; a program for the recovery of 
missing persons, particularly those with memory loss; a telephone call-
in welfare check and a house check service for residents who are away 
on vacation.
  Madam Speaker, I urge you and my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating the Police Department of the Township of Chester on the 
50th Anniversary of protecting one of New Jersey's finest 
municipalities!

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