Department profile · Morris County
Mountain Lakes Police Department
Reported as: Mountain Lakes PDMunicipal police
Jurisdiction context
Not a civil service jurisdiction
This department is not among the NJCSC Appendix A jurisdictions, so major discipline here follows a different statutory track (generally N.J.S.A. 40A:14), with appeals that usually go to the Superior Court rather than the Civil Service Commission.
See the context on non-civil-service departments.
Reflects the NJCSC Appendix A roster as of 2026-07-04. Context only, not legal advice.
In brief
The Mountain Lakes Police Department is a municipal police agency in Morris County. It reported 3 sworn officers in 2025 and 3 internal affairs investigations that year. Its rate of 100 investigations per 100 officers was below the 125.6 median for municipal police. Of the 3 investigations detailed for 2025, 1 reported a sustained complaint. Demeanor was the top allegation.
Two major discipline records appear across the 2020-2025 releases, and 1 of them was a termination. On the report card the department received an F, the 86th percentile among 361 peers with 1 to 14 officers. A higher volume of internal affairs activity can reflect more misconduct or a stronger reporting culture.
Written by this site strictly from the figures on this page; every number is cited below.
Sworn officers, 2025
3[1]
IA investigations, 2025
3[1]
Incidents, 2025
3[1]
Major discipline records
2
All years, 2020-2025
Internal affairs investigations by year
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 3 |
Complaint mix, 2025
Most serious allegation per investigation, as categorized by the reporting agency. Allegations are not findings: of 3 investigations, 1 reported one or more sustained complaints. Officer-level rows list 3 officers involved.[7]
Most serious allegation
| Demeanor | 2 |
|---|---|
| Theft | 1 |
Internal disposition
| Not Sustained | 2 |
|---|---|
| Sustained | 1 |
Against peers, 2025
| Mountain Lakes PD | 100.0 |
|---|---|
| County median, municipal police (35) | 116.7 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Christopher Somjen | Sergeant | Suspended 38 daysSeparated while IA pending | [8] |
| 2023 | Dickenson Clayton | Ptl. | TerminatedSuspended (days not reported)Separated while IA pending | [9] |
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 Mountain Lakes Police Department report in 2025?
- Mountain Lakes Police Department reported 3 internal affairs investigations in 2025, according to New Jersey Attorney General data. It reported 3 sworn officers that year.
- How many major discipline records does Mountain Lakes Police Department have?
- Mountain Lakes Police Department has 2 major discipline records in the Attorney General's 2020-2025 releases, of which 1 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 2401. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [2]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 368. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [3]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 1385. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [4]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 1890. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [5]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 871. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [6]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 2401. 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 Mountain Lakes 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 488. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩
- [9]New Jersey Major Discipline Data, 2020-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Major Discipline Data", row 1832. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩