The Borough of Highlands Police Department Patrol Section is comprised of one Lieutenant, two Sergeants, six regular police officers, and three part-time officers (Class II). The Patrol Section is the front line of the Department. The function of the Patrol Section is primary response to all reports of crime and requests for service within the Borough of Highlands. Proactive patrol activities include motor vehicle and traffic enforcement under Title 39, the New Jersey Criminal Code known as 2C, Borough Ordinances, as well as crime prevention and community policing through high visibility patrol.

Patrol officers enforce criminal law from both the proactive and reactive function. The majority of the arrests made by the Highlands Police Department are initially investigated by the patrol officers. Only the most serious crimes or those cases requiring extensive follow up are referred to the Detective Bureau. Patrol officers routinely handle disorderly persons offenses, fight calls, incidents of domestic violence, juvenile offenses, and other quality of life crimes, clearing most of these calls within a few minutes or hours.

Officers in the patrol section devote many hours to providing service to members of the community. Some of the more frequent calls for service are alarm activations, selective patrol of targeted trouble spots in the community, traffic control for special events, and assistance to the Highlands First Aid Squad and the Highlands Fire Department.

Patrol officers are summoned to handle requests for service from residents, which require that the officers be well versed in a variety of life experiences. These types of calls include, but are never limited to suspicious persons, neighborhood disputes, landlord/tenant problems, noise complaints, and motor vehicle complaints, just to name a few.

Patrol officers respond to mutual aid requests for assistance from other neighboring Police Departments. The Borough of Highlands Police Department is proud of the effective communication and outstanding working relationship we share with other agencies, and is committed to assisting other public service professionals in the performance of their duties.