Department profile · Warren County
Phillipsburg Police Department
Reported as: Phillipsburg PDMunicipal police
Jurisdiction context
Civil service jurisdiction
Discipline at this department is governed by the Title 4A civil service framework, matched to Phillipsburg 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
In Warren County, Phillipsburg Police Department is a municipal police agency. It reported 23 sworn officers in 2025 and 36 internal affairs investigations that year. Its rate of 156.5 investigations per 100 officers was above the 125.6 median for municipal police. Of the 36 investigations detailed for 2025, 10 reported sustained complaints. The most common allegation was another departmental rule violation.
The releases from 2020 through 2025 list 3 major discipline records for the department, 1 of which was a termination. The report card gives Phillipsburg a grade of F, placing it in the 81st percentile of its peer group of 61 agencies with 15-29 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
23[1]
IA investigations, 2025
36[1]
Incidents, 2025
29[1]
Major discipline records
3
All years, 2020-2025
Internal affairs investigations by year
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 13 | 20 | 27 | 36 |
Complaint mix, 2025
Most serious allegation per investigation, as categorized by the reporting agency. Allegations are not findings: of 36 investigations, 10 reported one or more sustained complaints. Officer-level rows list 36 officers involved.[7]
Most serious allegation
| Other Departmental Rule Violation | 7 |
|---|---|
| Differential Treatment | 7 |
| Neglect of Duty | 6 |
| Attendance Issues | 4 |
| Demeanor | 4 |
| Other Criminal Violation | 2 |
| Domestic violence (Non-Criminal) | 2 |
| Improper Search | 1 |
Internal disposition
| not provided | 15 |
|---|---|
| Sustained | 10 |
| Not Sustained | 5 |
| Exonerated | 4 |
| Unfounded | 2 |
Against peers, 2025
| Phillipsburg PD | 156.5 |
|---|---|
| County median, municipal police (8) | 128.3 |
| 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 | Scott Palmer | Patrolman | Suspended (days not reported)Separated while IA pending | [8] |
| 2024 | Jeffery Sullivan | Patrolman | Other sanction | [9] |
| 2023 | Gary Ricker | Patrolman | TerminatedSuspended 294 days | [10] |
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 Phillipsburg Police Department report in 2025?
- Phillipsburg Police Department reported 36 internal affairs investigations in 2025, according to New Jersey Attorney General data. It reported 23 sworn officers that year.
- How many major discipline records does Phillipsburg Police Department have?
- Phillipsburg Police Department has 3 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 2551. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [2]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 505. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [3]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 1528. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [4]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 2032. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [5]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 1013. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [6]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 2551. 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 Phillipsburg 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 817. 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 1457. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩
- [10]New Jersey Major Discipline Data, 2020-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Major Discipline Data", row 2001. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩