‘DISTINCTION AND HONOR’
Longtime Hamilton Police Chief to retire June 1, praised by town leaders
HAMILTON » James W. Collins, Hamilton’s longtime chief of police, will be retiring from the force effective June 1 after four decades of public service.
The pending departure of Collins, who has reached the mandatory age of retirement, means the police division will soon be led by a new chief. Retirement is mandatory at age 65 for all members in the Police and Firemen’s Retirement System except for elected officials, according to the New Jersey Division of Pensions and Benefits.
Collins joined the force in 1976 and has served as police chief since 2002, getting appointed to the position by former mayor Glen Gilmore. Current Mayor Kelly Yaede is expected to promote an officer within to serve as Hamilton’s next chief of police in the near future.
“Chief Collins served the Township of Hamilton with distinction and honor,” Yaede said Thursday in a statement. “His decades-long commitment to the residents of Hamilton Township is greatly appreciated.”
Although Collins has reached the mandatory retirement age, he continued to exhibit an aura of youth last month as he participated in his final Hamilton Saint Patrick’s Day Parade as the township’s highest-ranking cop.
The Hamilton Police Division has been reorganized and accredited under Collins’ leadership.
The police division in 2016 embraced the state’s Project Medicine Drop program, which Collins at the time described as a “very important” operation allowing residents to anonymously dispose of unwanted prescription-based substances at police headquarters 24/7.
In 2015, the police division under Collins’ leadership received accreditation from a statewide law-enforcement organization. The New Jersey Hamilton Police Chief James Collins (left) Fire Chief Mark Antozzeski (center) and Mayor Kelly Yaede (right) carry a memorial wreath during Hamilton’s September 11th Remembrance Ceremony in 2014.
State Association of Chiefs of Police certified that the Hamilton police force was complying with best-practice standards across a variety of areas, including arrest procedures, use of force, and crime scene processing.
Upon receiving the certificate, Chief Collins at an October 2015 ceremony called it “a great day” for Hamilton Township, adding, “I assured the public that we meet the highest standards for professionalism.”
Hamilton Township in 2014 and 2015 realized two consecutive years of record low crime rates, according to the township’s electronic crime database that dates back to 1977.
Collins also presided over the force in 2008 when Hamilton Council passed an ordinance reorganizing the police division to feature one chief of police, four captains and 12 lieutenants, eliminating the former deputy chief position.
“I want to thank Chief Collins for his over 40 years of dedicated service to Hamilton Township and roughly 16 years as Chief of the Police Department,” Hamilton Councilman Jeff Martin said Thursday in a statement by email. “If you know Chief Collins, you know he cares deeply for the people who live and work in this town, as well as the men and women he led, and keeping all of them safe.”
Yaede is a Republican and Martin is a Democrat, but both parties are expected to come together to embrace one chief to succeed Collins.
“I look forward to working with the Mayor as she selects our new Chief of Police, someone who is equally committed to continuing to improve public safety in Hamilton,” Martin said.
Pension records show Collins enrolled into the Police and Firemen’s Retirement System on Sept. 1, 1976.