Capt. Christopher Morgan, who rose through the ranks of the former Princeton Township Police Department, has been promoted to become the second chief of police of the consolidated Princeton Police Department.
Morgan, who replaces former Police Chief Nicholas Sutter, was appointed to the top position at the Princeton Council’s Sept. 30 meeting. Sutter retired from the Princeton Police Department Sept. 30.
Sutter was a police officer in the former Princeton Borough Police Department. Morgan began his career as a sheriff’s deputy with the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office and joined the former Princeton Township Police Department in 2000.
The former Princeton Borough Police Department and the former Princeton Township Police Department merged into the Princeton Police Department when the two towns consolidated in 2013.
In his remarks to the Princeton Council, Morgan praised Sutter and said the retired police chief “really created our current approach to policing.” Morgan also pledged to continue on the same path, noting that the Princeton Police Department has established itself as a professional organization and one that serves as a role model statewide.
The Princeton Police Department is committed to providing high quality police services, Morgan said. It is committed to transparency, engaging with the community and listening to them. The police department also has developed a strong social media presence, he added.
“This philosophy and approach will remain the same as we advance into a new era,” Morgan said.
Looking toward the future, Morgan said there are several issues that must be addressed, starting with hiring four to six new police officers. Four police officers are eligible to retire in 2021 and two more will be eligible in 2022, leading to potential short-staffing in patrol officers.
“It is important for us to start to begin to fill these positions, and to ensure we continue to bring diversity to our recruitment process to mirror the demographics of the town,” Morgan said. It takes about a year from the time a new recruit is hired and trained and is ready to go on patrol.
Morgan also said the police department is getting ready to roll out its body-worn camera initiative. All police officers will receive training as the police department readies itself to implement the new program, which is part of providing transparency to the community, he said.
But it’s not just enough to have body-worn cameras, Morgan said.
“We (will) require several levels of supervisory review to take place. For instance, there will be a mandatory review for instances of use of force. (The review process) starts with the supervisor, goes to command staff, the Internal Affairs unit and ultimately to the chief,” Morgan said.
There will also be random reviews of body-worn camera footage, Morgan said.
The Princeton Police Department also plans to incorporate implicit bias training into its training program, he said. Implicit bias training will be mandated by New Jersey, “but we want to do it sooner rather than later,” he said.
Officers also receive diversity training on an annual basis, and the police department will be reaching out to its community partners for input. Morgan said he feels that it is important to incorporate the ideas, beliefs and feelings from residents within the community into diversity training.
“Our hope is that our community partners will sit down with us, provide input or be able to provide some training themselves. It’s a new idea. Once it is developed, it will be extremely beneficial to the officers as well as the community,” Morgan said.
Once COVID-19 is brought under control, Morgan said, he would like the police officers to become more active in the community. The virus put a stop to those efforts, but he wants to revive them because he believes that face-to-face interactions are critical to developing trust within the community.
“It will ensure that the community has access to the police officers – to be able to express themselves and to have discussions. It will help us to grow as a police department,” Morgan said.
Morgan said he would also like to bring back the civilian police academy, which would educate participants about the responsibilities and day-to-day operations of the Princeton Police Department.
Also, Morgan would like to bring back the ride-along program. A resident can ride along with a police officer during part of the officer’s shift. The resident will get to experience, as close as possible, the job of a police officer and also offer an opportunity for one-on-one conversations, he said.
Summing up, Morgan said the Princeton Police Department is “very healthy” in its approach to policing and in its willingness to listen to the community. The goal is to be “the best that we can be and to serve the community in the most positive, effective way that we can,” he said.
“Each police officer brings their own life experiences and beliefs (to the job), but we have one thing in common. We want to help those around us and better serve our community,” Morgan said.
