Between 1934 and 1942 when Jack Ryan was appointed to the West Milford Police Force, Police Chief Moeller was the lone lawman for the entire eighty-plus square mile Township of West Milford. Later Louis Hall, James Kemble and James Semento were appointed individually, creating a five-man force until 1959 when five additional patrolmen were appointed. The force grew rapidly after that. Pictured from left that year are Court Clerk George Eckhardt, Judge T. Harry Cahill, Prosecutor Marcus Mandelbaum and Police Chief John H. Moeller. (Photo Ann Genader) ( Photo: Ann Genader) Looking back: Gun violence People who say there is too much violence in current movies just might have justified that opinion in January 1977 when there... Columns 08 Jun 2026 | 05:07
West Milford Police Chief John Moeller, left, and Capt. Jack Ryan check the teletype machine at Police Headquarters. which was in the balcony of the current West Milford Museum, in the early 1950s. (File photo by Ann Genader) Looking back: Early police communications In the 1930s, the New Jersey State Police’s Statewide Police Teletype System was developed to provide instant communications... Columns 07 May 2025 | 11:42
Police Chief John Moeller, left, and Capt. Jack Ryan, who became chief when Moeller retired, at the desk of the first cramped police quarters. It was in the balcony of the former Methodist Episcopal Church that was the first West Milford Town Hall. The building now is the West Milford Museum. (File photo by Ann Genader) Looking back: Police involved in shootout A year before Jack Ryan was hired as West Milford’s second full-time police officer in 1942, lone lawman John Moeller may... Columns 02 Apr 2025 | 11:54
