Department members leave doublewide trailers on Dey Road for new 16,000-square-foot building.
By: Jessica Beym
After more than a year in the making, and more than 25 years of hoping and waiting, the Cranbury Police Department finally opened its new police station last week.
Members of the Township Committee joined Chief Jay Hansen and other members of the police and public for a ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 28.
Chief Hansen provided a tour to invited guests, but would not let members of The Cranbury Press staff past the lobby.
The 18 members of the Police Department were more than happy to leave their doublewide trailers on Dey Road behind and head into a 16,000-square-foot building equipped with the latest tools and technology for law enforcement.
Inside the $3.2 million station is a detention area for prisoners, crime lab for detectives to process evidence, report room with computer workstations, training room and break room.
While the last stages of planning began just a few years ago, the ideas and hopes for a police station go back 25 years to when Chief Ken Logan, who was Cranbury’s first official police chief, approached the committee with requests for a station.
During Chief Logan’s years, the police operated out of a building behind the Fire Department on Main Street, which is now the headquarters for the Historical and Preservation Society. At the time, the township wasn’t able to fund the construction of a station, so the Police Department moved into the trailers on Dey Road, which is where they remained for the past 20 years.
Former Chief Harry Kleinkauf, who served the department for 34 years and retired in 2003 after 12 years as chief, attended the ceremony and said he was ecstatic.
"I’m so happy for the officers because this is something that’s been long overdue. The station is updated with some of the latest technology and equipment that we never had before. We’ve really come a long way," said Chief Kleinkauf.
While Chief Logan may have gotten the ball rolling, Chief. Kleinkauf and Chief Hansen worked on research, designs and architectural plans for the station.
Unfortunately, Chief Logan died in 1995 and was unable to see his dream of a police station come to fruition.
"Ken Logan would be beside himself today. He fought long and hard for everything we accomplished," said Mr. Kleinkauf.
In honor of the two previous chiefs, Chief Hansen awarded framed copies of the artist’s rendition of the new headquarters to Chief Logan’s wife, Marilyn, and Chief Kleinkauf.
Chief Hansen said the Police Department would host a public tour of the station in the spring.

