1900's | 1920's | 1940's | 1960's | 1980's

1900's - 1910's

In 1900, South Amboy was a borough encompassing miles of real estate on the southeastern shores of the Raritan Bay. It extended as far south as the farmlands of Monmouth County. Nearly seven thousand residents occupied its borders and crime was low. Like many other communities at the time, the Marshal - William Minnick, handled law enforcement. He had two Assistant Marshals, Thomas McKeon and James McDonnell.

By 1908, the title of Marshal had been replaced with Chief of Police. The Chief of Police was James McDonnell and he had three members in his department. Each member still had the title assistant marshal. There was Assistant Marshal Thomas Monahan, Second Assistant Marshal Thomas Gleason, and Third Assistant Marshal Patrick Ryan. Each of these positions was subject to annual nominations by the Mayor and approval by the council. One officer was assigned to daytime duty while the other three worked nights. The department's main focus was the welfare and protection of the community. The department was well received and respected by the citizens of South Amboy. One case cited for this respect was the murder of the Red Bank Police Chief. Within a few hours of the news reaching South Amboy, Chief McDonnell, who was working alone, captured and arrested the suspect.

In 1909, the Borough of South Amboy changed to the City of South Amboy. The city encompassed one square mile. The South Amboy Police Department took shape as all sworn personnel changed from marshals to policemen. The year also brought concerns from Mayor Treganowan that the police department needed to increase in size. In his opening year message to the Common Council he stated " there is nearly one-quarter of the city which has no police protection whatever", and he went on to say that these taxpayers were demanding the police protection they rightly deserved. While that may have been the Mayor's view, the council would not make additions to the department for another eight years.

During the spring and summer, the city was inundated with traffic headed to the New Jersey shore. Some estimates had as many as 90,000 motorists traveling to and from the shore using South Amboy as its thoroughfare. The department prided itself on being able to handle the influx with use of its motorcycle patrol. On each weekend, two officers were assigned to patrol New Jersey State Highway Route 4, the main street of the city. Their mission was to keep it safe and moving. According to Police Journal Magazine, the traffic was so well regulated that it drew praise from the millions of tourists who passed through. The department also prided itself on having no traffic fatalities for a five-year period from 1918 to 1923.

Next Page
Research for this section provided courtesy of Jim Ryan