Township Police Lieutenant Behre Retires

Lieutenant William Behre's retirement from the Chatham Township Police Department went into effect July 1.

Behre, who grew up in Chatham Township, started his career with the department as a patrolman on Sept. 1, 1983. He graduated the 21st Morris County basic police academy training and was awarded as the number one in firearms. Behre excelled as a patrolman and notably earned recognition for making numerous drunk driving arrests.

Between 1986 and 1989, Bill was assigned as a traffic safety officer and as a crime prevention officer. During this time he started, ran, and organized a "Scared Straight" program at the high school that ran for several years. He also helped coordinate bringing in "Deputy Dan the Safety Van," made numerous presentations to school children and received training in traffic accident investigation.

In 1990, Behre worked as a detective for one year. While working as a detective, he was awarded a commendation for capturing two burglars while they were in the act of burglarizing a home on Shunpike Road. In 1991, he was assigned to a combined position of patrol and traffic safety until 1995. In 1996, he returned to the detective bureau, where he worked on both general investigations and as the department's juvenile officer. He also served as a firearms instructor and ultimately became the head firearms instructor for the department. He was responsible for organizing and training the department's emergency services unit and supervised their response to various incidents.

In 1999, Bill was promoted to the rank of sergeant where he began running a patrol squad. He continued to supervise the firearms program during this time.

In the fall of 2002, Bill was transferred back into the detective bureau as a detective sergeant. During this time, he attended Chubb Institute and was certified in network management. He enhanced the police department's computer networking system, developed the department's first Web site and maintained it for many years. He was instrumental in installing the department's initial police reporting software, and helped the department upgrade to its current system.

In March 2009, Behre was promoted to lieutenant and took command of the patrol division. He became the department press information officer and a deputy coordinator for the Officer of Emergency Management. He continued in those roles until he retired.

During his career, he earned numerous awards and recognitions. He was awarded the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) award for drunk driving enforcement.

Behre's father, William Behre Sr., had been a special police officer in the department for many years. He became a dispatcher before retiring.

Behre said he is looking forward to retiring and spending more time with his children and grandchildren.