Plenty of Experience Has Prepared New Police Chief Crosson For Role

Newly appointed Police Chief Phillip J. Crosson, Jr. woke up one night last week and started thinking about his new position.

For 18 years, Crosson had steadily risen within the ranks of Chatham's police department, from dispatcher (1992) to police officer (1994) to detective (2002); he then continued on to detective sergeant (2002), lieutenant (2003) and executive officer (2008). On April 12, Crosson was sworn in as Chatham Borough's permanent police chief.

Crosson had had some time to prepare and practice for his role. In December of 2009, he was sworn in as acting chief when John Drake retired from the position. Crosson knew what to expect as a chief. Awake in bed that night, Crosson was considering the full weight of his responsibility— the management of the entire police department—when something unexpected happened.

"Every so often you get these crazy things in your head," Crosson said across an oval dark wooden table in his basement office of Borough Hall. Framed awards and certificates hung on the maroon walls. A large cherry desk sat against the farthest wall, crowded with things that needed to be done.

"I was laying there thinking about what the agency is going to do and [where it's going to] go," Crosson continued. His thoughts finally settled, to his surprise, on a three-tiered mission statement.

Communication, cooperation, and community: these would be the goals of Chatham Borough Police Department.

Crosson is finishing up a master's program in administrative sciences at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he received his bachelor's in 2009. One of his classes, "Contemporary Issues in Community Policy," has inspired him to expand Chatham's community policing department, which acts as a point of contact for residents, businesses and schools.

"The community services function gets people to … recognize the officers more," said Sergeant Brian Gibbons, who was sitting next to Crosson. "We have officers get out and walk through schools, spend an hour a day walking around downtown."

Crosson's decision to expand the program is a strategic move in light of the recent cutbacks to the municpality's budget, which recently cut one police officer position.

According to Crosson, the department is short seven officers total. It will be replacing two sworn officers and one civilian administrative assistant.

"We're expected to perform a great deal of work with little manpower to keep up the quality of service," Crosson said.

In addition to everyone pitching in to do jobs that are not formally theirs—young patrol officers will sometimes handle administrative duties, and Crosson recently responded to a call about gun possession—Crosson hopes an expanded community policing department will save money. It would be, Crosson said, a proactive way to expand police service without adding any actual cost to the department.

Crosson said that he and Gibbons recently were on a senior safety panel at Ogden Memorial Presbyterian Church. During the event, they warned seniors about the risks of identity fraud.

Crosson hopes that the department continues to work with the community to prevent crimes from happening.

"An ounce of prevention is a pound of cure," Crosson said.

How well the community policing department will save money is yet to be seen. But Crosson's enthusiasm for it is infectious. It is clear he loves being out and about in the community.

"You don't become an officer to stay in an office," he said. He likes police work because it's a "way to go out and do something that changes constantly, [where I can] meet a lot of people and touch lives."

Crosson is well respected in the policing community—police officers from all over New Jersey attended Crosson's swearing in. Gibbons believes that Crosson's greatest characteristics---his compassion, leadership and cooperation, according to Gibbons—and the respect his fellow officers have for him and that he has for them will help the department "get the important things done."

Because Crosson has held almost every position in the department, Gibbons said, Crosson understands what each of his guys are going through at any given moment.

"He's a people person, and it's important, because too many businesses and industries [consider people] expenses. He considers people assets," Gibbons said.

Crosson grew up and still lives in Hopatcong with his wife, Barbara, and their 11-year old daughter, Danielle. He has stayed at the borough police Department his entire 18-year career. He is nothing if not committed to his communities.

"A lot of this community policing—it was a refresher," he said, talking about the class he took at Fairleigh Dickinson.

"Being in police administration, you lose a little bit of touch with the community," he continued. "This is an opportunity to get back into that."

Community, cooperation and communications: goals for Crosson's police department, but also undeniable characteristics of Crosson's personality that make him such a good leader.

Crosson wanted to become a police officer to touch people's lives in a "positive way." He's won the respect of the officers. Now it's time to prove himself to the community.

"What they expect for us is that we're out there keeping the community safe," he said.

He added: "I'm confident [the officers] can get through anything. But in the back of your mind you're thinking, 'I'm responsible for all of this.'"