Department profile · Monmouth County
Highlands Police Department
Reported as: Highlands PDMunicipal police
Jurisdiction context
Civil service jurisdiction
Discipline at this department is governed by the Title 4A civil service framework, matched to Highlands Borough on the New Jersey Civil Service Commission roster.
Read how the process works or the Title 4A glossary. Browse NJCSNavigator’s civil service jurisdiction directory for the full local-jurisdiction roster.
Reflects the NJCSC Appendix A roster as of 2026-07-04. Context only, not legal advice.
In brief
The Highlands Police Department is a municipal police agency in Monmouth County. It reported 2 sworn officers in 2025 and 3 internal affairs investigations that year. Its rate of 150 investigations per 100 officers was above the 125.6 median for municipal police. Of the 3 investigations detailed for 2025, 2 recorded sustained complaints. The most common allegations were Attendance Issues and Neglect of Duty.
One major discipline record appears in the 2020-2025 releases, in 2020, with no termination. On the report card the department received an F, which places it at the 93rd percentile of its peer group of 361 agencies with 1-14 officers. A larger internal affairs caseload can point to more misconduct or to a stronger reporting culture.
Written by this site strictly from the figures on this page; every number is cited below.
Sworn officers, 2025
2[1]
IA investigations, 2025
3[1]
Incidents, 2025
3[1]
Major discipline records
1
All years, 2020-2025
Internal affairs investigations by year
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 3 |
Complaint mix, 2025
Most serious allegation per investigation, as categorized by the reporting agency. Allegations are not findings: of 3 investigations, 2 reported one or more sustained complaints. Officer-level rows list 3 officers involved.[7]
Most serious allegation
| Attendance Issues | 1 |
|---|---|
| Neglect of Duty | 1 |
| Other Departmental Rule Violation | 1 |
Internal disposition
| Sustained | 2 |
|---|---|
| Exonerated | 1 |
Against peers, 2025
| Highlands PD | 150.0 |
|---|---|
| County median, municipal police (41) | 125.0 |
| NJ median, municipal police (447) | 125.6 |
Investigations per 100 sworn officers, using the officer counts each agency reported for 2025. A higher number is ambiguous on its own: it can reflect more misconduct, or a stronger internal reporting culture. Medians are computed within the same agency type only.
Major discipline records
| Year | Officer | Rank | Sanction as reported | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Troy Hartsgrove | Patrol Officer | Suspended 30 days | [8] |
Every name links to the officer's record page with the agency's full synopsis and citation.
Questions and answers
- How many internal affairs investigations did Highlands Police Department report in 2025?
- Highlands Police Department reported 3 internal affairs investigations in 2025, according to New Jersey Attorney General data. It reported 2 sworn officers that year.
- How many major discipline records does Highlands Police Department have?
- Highlands Police Department has 1 major discipline records in the Attorney General's 2020-2025 releases, of which 0 were terminations. These are final, adjudicated actions, not allegations.
Sources
- [1]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 2345. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [2]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 310. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [3]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 1329. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [4]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 1834. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [5]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 813. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [6]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 2345. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [7]New Jersey Internal Affairs Investigations, 2024-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 1. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. Aggregated from every Highlands PD row for 2025; row 1 is the header. ↩
- [8]New Jersey Major Discipline Data, 2020-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Major Discipline Data", row 2897. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩