Department profile · Union County
Scotch Plains Police Department
Reported as: Scotch Plains PDMunicipal police
Jurisdiction context
Civil service jurisdiction
Discipline at this department is governed by the Title 4A civil service framework, matched to Scotch Plains 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 Scotch Plains Police Department is a municipal police agency in Union County. It reported 23 sworn officers in 2025 and opened 45 internal affairs investigations that year. Its rate of 195.7 investigations per 100 officers was above the 125.6 median for municipal police. Of the 45 investigations detailed for 2025, 11 ended in sustained findings. Other Departmental Rule Violation and Demeanor were the most common allegations.
Four major discipline records appear in the 2020 through 2025 releases, one of them a termination. On the site's report card the department received an F, placing it in the 89th percentile of its peer group of 61 agencies with 15 to 29 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
23[1]
IA investigations, 2025
45[1]
Incidents, 2025
34[1]
Major discipline records
4
All years, 2020-2025
Internal affairs investigations by year
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | 38 | 29 | 43 | 45 |
Complaint mix, 2025
Most serious allegation per investigation, as categorized by the reporting agency. Allegations are not findings: of 45 investigations, 11 reported one or more sustained complaints. Officer-level rows list 41 officers involved.[7]
Most serious allegation
| Other Departmental Rule Violation | 19 |
|---|---|
| Demeanor | 6 |
| Attendance Issues | 5 |
| Differential Treatment | 4 |
| Neglect of Duty | 4 |
| Conduct Unbecoming/Discredit To The Agency | 2 |
| Insubordination/Disobeying An Order | 2 |
| False Documentation/Falsifying A Report (Non-Criminal) | 2 |
Internal disposition
| not provided | 15 |
|---|---|
| Unfounded | 12 |
| Sustained | 11 |
| Exonerated | 5 |
| Not Sustained | 2 |
Against peers, 2025
| Scotch Plains PD | 195.7 |
|---|---|
| County median, municipal police (23) | 137.0 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Rolando Rodriguez | Patrolman | Suspended 5 days | [8] |
| 2024 | Donte Joyner | Patrolman | Suspended 5 days | [9] |
| 2024 | Donte Joyner | Patrolman | TerminatedSeparated while IA pending | [10] |
| 2023 | Zachary VonLangen | Patrolman | Suspended 40 days | [11] |
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 Scotch Plains Police Department report in 2025?
- Scotch Plains Police Department reported 45 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 Scotch Plains Police Department have?
- Scotch Plains Police Department has 4 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 2537. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [2]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 490. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [3]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 1513. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [4]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 2020. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [5]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 998. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [6]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 2537. 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 Scotch Plains 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 1452. 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 1453. 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 1454. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩
- [11]New Jersey Major Discipline Data, 2020-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Major Discipline Data", row 1994. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩