Letter from the Chief:
We are very excited to formally announce that the Woodbury City Police Department and Woodbury Heights Police Department will be become one agency as of tomorrow morning, July 21st, 2023, at 6:00 am. Officers from both jurisdictions have worked extremely well, side by side, for many years and now will share the same uniform. Woodbury City and Woodbury Heights Borough Councils both voted unanimously last evening, at their own respected meetings, to enter into a 7-year Shared Service Agreement until the year of 2030.
This new partnership will not only allow both jurisdictions to have more officers on the street but provide better officer safety for our brave men and women. With more officers on a given shift, we hope to improve response time, enhance our community policing outreach and further solidify our commitment to these two amazing communities.
Woodbury City Police Department has been providing Woodbury Heights Borough with assistance for the past 15+ months through a temporary shared service agreement and happy to make it more permanent. Over those 15 months, Woodbury and Woodbury Heights officers have taken that opportunity to get to know one another’s communities and embraced that partnership to provide better service. We are excited about growing these relationships for years to come in the future.
Our Woodbury City Police Department is the longest accredited police department in Gloucester County and ranked in the top 1% of departments throughout the State. A shared service agreement will provide for the sharing of 34 full-time police officers, including bi-lingual officers, officers assigned to housing and tenant issues, full-time detectives, K-9 Officers, and bicycle patrols. Many of these resources were not available previously to the residents of Woodbury Heights.
Woodbury City PD, previously 28 Full-time officers, will welcome all present Woodbury Heights Officers as new members. These officers will not only benefit from increased salary but also most importantly have the ability to be more proactive, with officer safety in mind, with backup officers to work in a team approach. Heights officers coming over will now have the opportunity at not only career advancement, but also advanced training that is not always available at a smaller department.
While we welcome all of the present Woodbury Heights officers into the Woodbury PD family, along with Woodbury Heights Borough we would like to recognize and personally thank the Officers of the Borough Police Department, past and present, who have selflessly served the Borough of Woodbury Heights and its residents since the inception of the part-time department in 1961. The department remained part-time until the appointment of the first full-time Officers in 1977 under Chief John Eller. In 1984, Chief Thomas P. Reilly made the department a full-time 24 hour, 7 days a week operation manned by full-time Officers who have proudly and courageously served the Borough to the present date. All past officers will always have a place to call home at our Woodbury City Police Department.
Once again, we are happy to begin this partnership that will bring enhanced policing, through proactive policing, empathy and understanding to both jurisdictions. If any resident has any questions, they are more than welcome to reach out to me, tryan@woodburypd.com. Residents are also welcome to stop and talk to our officers as they are out and about to get to know these brave men and women. We are and will be here to serve you and your families. Now time to get to work!
Stay safe,
Chief Thomas R. Ryan #364
Mayor Miller adds that "Council and I are excited to welcome the Woodbury Heights Community under the umbrella of safety and service of our capable and respected police force. Together our communities can rest easy knowing that we are both better protected and served. I would like to thank Mayor Packer of Woodbury Heights, Chief Tom Ryan, and every other party involved, past and present, on seeing this collaboration thru. Together we are stronger...Together we are safer."