Department profile · Bergen County
Rutherford Police Department
Reported as: Rutherford PDMunicipal police
Jurisdiction context
Civil service jurisdiction
Discipline at this department is governed by the Title 4A civil service framework, matched to Rutherford 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
Based in Bergen County, the Rutherford Police Department is a municipal police agency. It reported 12 sworn officers in 2025 and opened 16 internal affairs investigations that year. Its rate of 133.3 investigations per 100 officers was above the 125.6 median for municipal police. Of the 16 investigations detailed for 2025, 13 ended in sustained findings. Other Departmental Rule Violation and Preventable MV Accident were the most common allegations.
One major discipline record appears in the 2020 through 2025 releases, and it was not a termination. On the site's report card the department received a D, placing it in the 71st percentile of its peer group of 361 agencies with 1 to 14 officers. A higher volume of internal affairs activity can reflect either 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
12[1]
IA investigations, 2025
16[1]
Incidents, 2025
16[1]
Major discipline records
1
All years, 2020-2025
Internal affairs investigations by year
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 29 | 13 | 15 | 16 |
Complaint mix, 2025
Most serious allegation per investigation, as categorized by the reporting agency. Allegations are not findings: of 16 investigations, 13 reported one or more sustained complaints. Officer-level rows list 16 officers involved.[7]
Most serious allegation
| Other Departmental Rule Violation | 5 |
|---|---|
| Preventable MV Accident | 4 |
| Demeanor | 3 |
| BWC/MVR Violation | 1 |
| Differential Treatment | 1 |
| Improper Search | 1 |
| Conduct Unbecoming/Discredit To The Agency | 1 |
Internal disposition
| Sustained | 14 |
|---|---|
| Exonerated | 1 |
| not provided | 1 |
Against peers, 2025
| Rutherford PD | 133.3 |
|---|---|
| County median, municipal police (60) | 125.3 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Michael Foley | Patrolman | Suspended 5 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 Rutherford Police Department report in 2025?
- Rutherford Police Department reported 16 internal affairs investigations in 2025, according to New Jersey Attorney General data. It reported 12 sworn officers that year.
- How many major discipline records does Rutherford Police Department have?
- Rutherford 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 2108. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [2]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 74. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [3]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 1092. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [4]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 1603. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [5]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 583. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [6]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 2108. 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 Rutherford 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 888. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩