Department profile · Ocean County
Stafford Township Police Department
Reported as: Stafford Twp 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
Stafford Township Police Department is a municipal police agency in Ocean County. In 2025 it reported 13 sworn officers and 15 internal affairs investigations. Its rate of 115.4 investigations per 100 officers was below the 125.6 median for municipal police. Of the 15 investigations, 3 reported sustained complaints in 2025. The most common allegation was other departmental rule violations, followed by demeanor.
Three major discipline records appear in the 2020-2025 releases, in 2022, 2023 and 2025, none of them terminations. The report card gave the department a grade of B, placing it at the 37th percentile of its peer group of 361 agencies in the 1-14 officer band. A larger number of internal affairs cases can point to more misconduct or to a more complete reporting culture.
Written by this site strictly from the figures on this page; every number is cited below.
Sworn officers, 2025
13[1]
IA investigations, 2025
15[1]
Incidents, 2025
11[1]
Major discipline records
3
All years, 2020-2025
Internal affairs investigations by year
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 18 | 13 | 7 | 15 |
Complaint mix, 2025
Most serious allegation per investigation, as categorized by the reporting agency. Allegations are not findings: of 15 investigations, 3 reported one or more sustained complaints. Officer-level rows list 15 officers involved.[7]
Most serious allegation
| Other Departmental Rule Violation | 9 |
|---|---|
| Demeanor | 3 |
| Excessive Force | 3 |
Internal disposition
| Exonerated | 5 |
|---|---|
| Unfounded | 4 |
| Sustained | 3 |
| Not Sustained | 3 |
Against peers, 2025
| Stafford Twp PD | 115.4 |
|---|---|
| County median, municipal police (29) | 100.0 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Austin Rauch | Patrolman | Suspended 10 days | [8] |
| 2023 | Russell Dunfee | Patrolman | Suspended 30 days | [9] |
| 2022 | Phillip Mauro | Sergeant | Suspended 10 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 Stafford Township Police Department report in 2025?
- Stafford Township Police Department reported 15 internal affairs investigations in 2025, according to New Jersey Attorney General data. It reported 13 sworn officers that year.
- How many major discipline records does Stafford Township Police Department have?
- Stafford Township Police Department has 3 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 2440. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [2]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 403. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [3]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 1425. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [4]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 1930. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [5]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 905. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [6]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 2440. 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 Stafford Twp 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 501. 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 1848. 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 2279. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩