Middlesex Borough Police Department Celebrates 85th Anniversary
On this month back in 1939, the first full-time, paid police department was established in Middlesex Borough with the appointment of a Chief of Police and one Police Officer.
On the first of that month, February 1939, the governing body of Middlesex Borough established a full-time, paid police department. And on February 16, 1939, Gurdon Fuller was appointed as the first Police Chief under the newly established department.
For the past 85 years the dedicated members of the Middlesex Borough Police Department have and continue to play an essential role in safeguarding the rights and freedoms of our citizens. Middlesex Borough thanks our police officers, past and present, who by their faithful and loyal devotion to their responsibilities have rendered a dedicated service to this community and, in doing so, have established for themselves an enviable and enduring reputation for preserving the rights and security of all citizens, upholding the highest values and traditions of service.
A Brief History of the Borough’s Law Enforcement
In May 1913, Middlesex Borough separated itself from Piscataway. The first police force was comprised of five Marshalls, each of whom was in charge of a section of town: the East Bound Brook district, Beechwood Heights district, Green Brook district, Lincoln district, and the remainder of the borough. On January 21, 1921, two Marshalls, Gurdon Fuller and William Fellows, were appointed to serve as constables. In 1933, the Borough Council enacted an ordinance to further establish the police department, and Fellows was appointed as the first Chief of Police and Fuller was appointed as Captain.
During the next few years, the Borough Council changed the internal operations of the police department twice, bringing about the establishment of the department in 1939.
1939 – Present
Between 1939 and today, sixty police officers have retired from service to the Borough of Middlesex, many of whom served at various levels of supervision and assignment. Many others began a career in Middlesex but followed other paths prior to a police retirement here. Today we recognize all of the officers who took the Oath of Office to serve the citizens of Middlesex Borough.
Chief Fuller served in that capacity until his retirement in 1963, a law enforcement career spanning more than 42 years. He was succeeded by Chief Andrew Simpf, who served with the police department from 1941 to 1981. Sylvester Conrad, who was appointed to the police department on February 2, 1962, rose to the rank of Police Chief and served until his retirement in January 1992. Selected as the fourth Police Chief, James Benson’s career began in 1972, culminating in his appointment to Chief in 1992, and retirement after 18 years in that position in May, 2010. Chief Craig Young began his law enforcement career in Middlesex Borough in 1984. Chief Young retired after five years as Chief of Police in July 2015. Currently, the department is under the command of the sixth Chief of Police, Matthew P. Geist, who began his career in 1993.
Proud to Celebrate
Middlesex Borough acknowledges and celebrates the 85th Anniversary, the high standards, and the longstanding traditions of the Middlesex Borough Police Department.