Department profile · Union County
Summit Police Department
Reported as: Summit 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
Summit Police Department is a municipal police agency in Union County. In 2025 it reported 14 sworn officers and 20 internal affairs investigations. Its rate of 142.9 investigations per 100 officers was above the 125.6 median for municipal police. Of the 20 investigations, 10 reported sustained complaints in 2025. The most common allegation was demeanor, followed by insubordination or disobeying an order.
One major discipline record appears in the 2020-2025 releases, from 2025, with no termination. The report card gave the department a grade of D, placing it at the 79th percentile of its peer group of 361 agencies in the 1-14 officer band. More internal affairs activity can mean either more misconduct or a more thorough reporting practice.
Written by this site strictly from the figures on this page; every number is cited below.
Sworn officers, 2025
14[1]
IA investigations, 2025
20[1]
Incidents, 2025
19[1]
Major discipline records
1
All years, 2020-2025
Internal affairs investigations by year
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 36 | 22 | 17 | 20 |
Complaint mix, 2025
Most serious allegation per investigation, as categorized by the reporting agency. Allegations are not findings: of 20 investigations, 10 reported one or more sustained complaints. Officer-level rows list 19 officers involved.[7]
Most serious allegation
| Demeanor | 6 |
|---|---|
| Insubordination/Disobeying An Order | 4 |
| Other Departmental Rule Violation | 4 |
| Excessive Force | 2 |
| Preventable MV Accident | 2 |
| Differential Treatment | 1 |
| Vehicular Pursuit Policy Violation | 1 |
Internal disposition
| Sustained | 10 |
|---|---|
| Not Sustained | 5 |
| Exonerated | 5 |
Against peers, 2025
| Summit PD | 142.9 |
|---|---|
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Rodney Watson | Patrol Officer | Suspended 8 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 Summit Police Department report in 2025?
- Summit Police Department reported 20 internal affairs investigations in 2025, according to New Jersey Attorney General data. It reported 14 sworn officers that year.
- How many major discipline records does Summit Police Department have?
- Summit 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 2539. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [2]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 492. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [3]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 1515. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [4]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 2021. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [5]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 1000. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [6]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 2539. 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 Summit 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 811. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩