Pine Beach Borough Police Department

The Pine Beach Police Department serves the Borough of Pine Beach in Ocean County, New Jersey. The headquarters is at 599 Pennsylvania Avenue, Pine Beach, NJ 08741.

Chief / Leadership

The current Chief of Police is Keith Brown.

Division / Unit Key Functions

• Patrol Division General law enforcement: crime prevention, traffic enforcement, responding to calls, investigating accidents, observing suspicious activity, maintaining order.
• Detective Bureau Investigates crimes reported or discovered, works with crime scene investigators, builds cases for prosecution, handles juvenile cases via the Juvenile Liaison role.
• Internal Affairs Handles complaints against officers, investigates misconduct, uses early warning systems, maintains discipline standards.
• Firearms Unit Handles permits & registrations for firearms in coordination with NJ State Police’s FARS (Firearms Applications & Registration System).

Staffing & Size

• The department is relatively small. Currently five (5) Full-time Officers. Looking to expand to seven (7)Full-time Officers.
• 1 Chief of Police
  1 Lieutenant 
  1 Detective
  2 Officers
  1 SLEO II Officer

Services & Other Functions

• Tow & Impound: The department operates an impound yard behind Borough Hall.
• Office of Emergency Management (OEM): Pine Beach has an OEM which coordinates emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and works with county/state/federal authorities.
• Community outreach includes programs like school engagement (e.g. “Excellency Program” with Pine Beach Elementary), public information on traffic, and other local matters.

Mission Statement and Core Values

The Pine Beach Police Department will commit its resources in partnership with the community to promote a safe and secure environment, free from crime and the fear of crime, to maintain order and provide for the safe and expeditious flow of traffic while practicing our core values.

The Pine Beach Police Department will be guided by our core values in pursuit of our mission. Our core values are:

• PARTNERSHIP - We believe in a partnership of support between the police and the community that we serve. We will continue to strengthen that support by developing new outreach programs and expand existing ones.
• INTEGRITY - We have committed ourselves to elevated standards of trust, responsibility and discipline while promoting justice in a fair and impartial manner. We will earn the trust, respect and support of the citizens through service with integrity to the community we serve.
• NOBLE - We are proud of the reputation our department has built over the years and are committed to continuing this through diligence and hard work.
• EXPERIENCE - We take great pride in creating a positive experience between our personnel and the community.
• BENEVOLENT - We are dedicated to providing compassionate and caring service to the community we serve.
• ETHICS - We will continue to build trust with our community and within our department through honesty and integrity in our decision-making. We guarantee to uphold the principles and values embodied in the constitutions of the United States and the State of New Jersey.
• ACCOUNTABILITY - We are proud of our profession and will ensure that our members are dedicated, highly trained and capable of handling the daily demands of the law enforcement profession. We promote a collaborative environment for sharing information, resources, assistance and expertise.
• COURTEOUS - We provide service in a courteous, efficient, and accessible manner. We foster community and employee involvement through problem-solving partnerships, recognizing and responding with sincerity to those in need of our services.
• HONOR - We are committed to the highest ideals of honor and integrity to maintain the respect and confidence of government officials, subordinates, the public and fellow police officers.

About Us 

Demographics & Population

• Population (2020/2023) ~2,361 in 2020;estimates in 2023 are around 2,378 people.
• Population Trend Modest growth over recent years;some small year-to-year fluctuations.
• Median Age ~?53.6 years. This is older than NJ’s median.
• Ethnicity / Race Predominantly White (non-Hispanic). Smaller percentages of Hispanic, Black/African American, multiracial.
• Household / Housing Very high homeownership (~?96.4?%) rate.
• Median property value ~?$438,300 in 2023, which had increased significantly from the prior year.

Education

• Education attainment is relatively strong: high school and college attainment rates are good. Significant portion of adults have bachelor’s degrees or higher.
• Pine Beach Elementary School has mixed performance: significant percentage of economically disadvantaged students;student-teacher ratio is about 13:1.

Housing, Living & Quality of Life

• Very residential, quiet, and with a “small town / close-knit” feel.
• Waterfront amenities (due to Toms River / Barnegat Bay) provide boating, sailing, beaches, etc. Pine Beach Yacht Club is an active part of community life.
• Parks, recreation: there are local parks, sports fields, senior services, beaches with lifeguards during summer.

History & Community Character

• Pine Beach has historic roots: in the early 1900s, there was development intended to create a resort town along the river, with amenities for lot buyers, a train station, a clubhouse, etc.
• Architectural styles include vintage/ranch, bungalow, colonial homes, especially older construction, plus more recent waterfront builds.
• There is active interest in preserving local history: Pine Beach has a Preservation Society formed in 2023 aiming to document, protect, and promote the town’s historical assets.

Amenities & Location / Access

• Relatively good location: within commuting distance of larger hubs (e.g., to NYC or Philadelphia), while still offering a more peaceful environment.
• Natural amenities: river access, yacht club, parks, waterfront views. Good for boating and water recreation.
• Community programs: senior services, volunteer-driven events (e.g. local 5K), environmental initiatives (e.g. adopt-a-drain), and community notifications and communications via Nixle.