Since 2012, Robert J. Dowd has served as the 9th Chief of Police in the history of the Township of North Bergen, overseeing the day-to-day operations of a police department comprised of 144 sworn officers and 54 part-time and full-time civilian employees that serves a township of more than 60,000 residents.
Chief Dowd has served as a North Bergen Police Officer since 1994 and is certified by the New Jersey Police Training Commission as a Police Academy Instructor. He regularly teaches at the Passaic County Police Academy.
Chief Dowd is also a Certified Public Manager earning his CPM designation from Rutgers University. Chief Dowd graduated from the FBI’s Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (FBI-LEEDS) and was the first chief in the history of Hudson County to be designated as an Advanced Level—Accredited Chief Executive by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police.
Chief Dowd holds a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice from New Jersey City University (NJCU) where he graduated with a 4.0 grade point average. He also earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from NJCU where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. Chief Dowd is currently an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice at NJCU.
During the course of his career, Chief Dowd has received ten commendations for bravery and valor from the North Bergen PBA.
As a sergeant, he was presented with a commendation from the Knights of Columbus for his role in apprehending an armed robber at a bank with multiple hostages.
Also as a sergeant, he received a commendation from the Veterans of Foreign Wars for his role in apprehending suspects who traveled here from Oklahoma and were attempting to sell assault weapons on the streets of North Bergen.
As a lieutenant, he was honored by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for his role in apprehending a fugitive that robbed over a dozen banks in New Jersey and New York.
As a captain, he led an investigation which seized over $700,000 from a drug dealer.
In July of 2016, Chief Dowd was invited to the White House by President Obama to participate in a briefing regarding the President’s 21st Century Taskforce on Policing.
In July of 2017, he traveled with other police leaders from New Jersey to study at the College of Policing in Manchester, England, and stayed at the Sedgely Park Training Center, the police academy for the Greater Manchester Police.
In 2018, Chief Dowd traveled with other police leaders from New Jersey to London, England to spend time training with the London Metropolitan Police Force, as well as the City of London Police Department.
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In 2019, Chief Dowd traveled to the Scottish Police Academy in Fife, Scotland to train with members of Police Scotland and exchange ideas and methods of policing.
Chief Dowd is a past president of the Hudson County Chiefs of Police Association. He is also proud member of:
• The International Association of Chiefs of Police, • The New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, • FBI-LEEDA, • The New Jersey State PBA, • The Fraternal Order of Police, • The Italian American Police Society of New Jersey, and • The Jersey City Police Emerald Society.
Under Chief Dowd’s leadership, two different national studies of over 16,000 cities with populations of 50,000 or more residents declared the Township of North Bergen to be the safest municipality in Hudson County, the 6th Safest Big City in New Jersey, and the 23rd Safest City in the United States of America.
Also under Chief’s Dowd’s tenure, the North Bergen Police Department has grown to is largest size in the township’s history and has become an accredited police agency that serves as a model for others to follow.
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