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Capping more than a quarter-century in blue, New Police Chief James Walters was sworn at borough hall surrounded by loved ones, friends and colleagues.
A Ridgefield Park High School Class of 1985 graduate, Walters joined the department in February 1993 after completing a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice at what was then Jersey City State College (now New Jersey City University) and attending the Morris County Police Academy, where he served as a platoon leader and honor guard member.
Walters worked for a year in the detective bureau in 1997 before returning to patrol.
He attended a variety of prestigious training programs, including one run by the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area ("HIDTA") Task Force at John Jay College in Manhattan.
A short time later, Walters became the department’s first-ever field training officer.
He was promoted to sergeant in 2006 and in 2014 became a patrol supervisor, managing the department’s day-to-day operations.
Two years later, Walters was promoted to lieutenant and then to captain two years after that.
Walters has led fundraising efforts that include Special Olympics New Jersey events – among them, the Snow Bowl and Law Enforcement Torch Run – as well as the annual Bergen County PBA Toy Drive.
He succeeds longtime Chief Ralph Verdi, who dedicated 40 years to the borough as a law enforcement officer.
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