Department profile · Somerset County
Watchung Police Department
Reported as: Watchung 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
Watchung Police Department is a municipal police agency in Somerset County. It reported 11 sworn officers in 2025 and 13 internal affairs investigations that year. At 118.2 investigations per 100 officers, its rate was below the 125.6 median for municipal police. Of the 13 investigations detailed for 2025, 9 reported sustained complaints. Other Departmental Rule Violation was the most common allegation.
The 2020-2025 releases include 2 major discipline records, none of them terminations. The department received a C on the report card, at the 46th percentile of its peer group of 361 agencies with 1-14 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
11[1]
IA investigations, 2025
13[1]
Incidents, 2025
9[1]
Major discipline records
2
All years, 2020-2025
Internal affairs investigations by year
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 11 | 7 | 17 | 13 |
Complaint mix, 2025
Most serious allegation per investigation, as categorized by the reporting agency. Allegations are not findings: of 13 investigations, 9 reported one or more sustained complaints. Officer-level rows list 13 officers involved.[7]
Most serious allegation
| Other Departmental Rule Violation | 10 |
|---|---|
| Demeanor | 2 |
| BWC/MVR Violation | 1 |
Internal disposition
| Sustained | 9 |
|---|---|
| Unfounded | 2 |
| Not Sustained | 1 |
| Administratively Closed | 1 |
Against peers, 2025
| Watchung PD | 118.2 |
|---|---|
| County median, municipal police (18) | 141.7 |
| 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 | Brian Pascoe | Officer | Suspended 4 days | [8] |
| 2020 | Sean Bouchard | Officer | Suspended 90 days | [9] |
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 Watchung Police Department report in 2025?
- Watchung Police Department reported 13 internal affairs investigations in 2025, according to New Jersey Attorney General data. It reported 11 sworn officers that year.
- How many major discipline records does Watchung Police Department have?
- Watchung Police Department has 2 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 2492. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [2]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 453. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [3]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 1474. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [4]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 1982. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [5]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 958. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [6]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 2492. 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 Watchung 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 529. 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 2930. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩