History of the Princeton Borough Police Department

  1. 1600s / 1700s
  2. 1800s
  3. 1900s & 1910s
  4. 1920s
  5. 1930s
  6. 1940s
  7. 1950s
  8. 1960s
  9. 1970s & 1980s
  10. 1990s
  11. 2000s
  12. 2010s

Settling of Princeton

The Princeton area was settled in the late 1600s as farmers came to the area to cultivate the land along the Stony Brook Creek and the Millstone River. Eventually, a small market area was established in what is now the central business district in Princeton. Originally called Stony Brook, the town adopted the name of Princeton in 1724.

Need for Policing

In 1775, the Continental Congress recommended that military companies be formed in the various townships. Out of this recommendation, the Committee of Safety was formed, which included two members from Princeton. The Committee of Safety adopted measures to examine strollers and vagabonds on the public roads who were stealing horses and robbing. They also took measures to disarm and arrest extremely violent men.