Township’s new captain continues ‘joint effort’ with new chief

Robert Buchanan officially takes on his new role as No. 2 in department

By: Courtney Gross
   In middle school, Capt. Robert Buchanan knew he wanted to be a cop.
   When visited at the Valley Road School by a member of Princeton Township’s Police Department during a career day, Capt. Buchanan, now 52, recalled how the officer’s presence — a man who would later become his partner — was larger than life.
   It was that presence — one that included the powerful symbol of the Princeton Township police uniform — that inspired Capt. Buchanan to pursue law enforcement.
   "He impressed me so much that I knew I wanted to be a cop," he said.
   After approximately 27 years of service in the Princeton Township Police Department, the veteran officer was officially sworn in as captain in front of the Princeton Township Committee Monday night.
   Having taken on the duties of acting captain last year during an administrative restructuring within the department, Capt. Buchanan’s responsibilities may not change, but his title certainly will.
   Overseeing the community policing, traffic and juvenile bureau as well as the detective unit, Capt. Buchanan said both he and Chief Mark Emann, want to take the department in a new direction.
   In a relationship that was founded on summer camping trips as adolescents, both Chief Emann and Capt. Buchanan will now lead the department into a new phase — one with less manpower and tighter budgets.
   His goals for the department, the captain noted, include incorporating greater professionalism and seeking state accreditation — an accomplishment that would hold the department to a higher standard.
   With a bachelor’s degree from The College of New Jersey, Capt. Buchanan identified the major difference in his police work as he has climbed through the ranks.
   Having joined the department in 1980 with a prior five-year stint as an officer in the Mercer County Park Police, he moved from patrol officer to detective, followed by sergeant and lieutenant. Throughout his extensive tenure, Capt. Buchanan, who pilots helicopters in his spare time, recognized he has had to increasingly multi-task to deal with the many demands of police work.
   "You need to focus on numerous crises (to be) a good leader," the captain noted.
   As second in command, the captain described the challenges the department could face, from increasing gang violence to quality of life issues. But no matter what the department might battle, the Ewing resident and Princeton High School graduate said he has always enjoyed each day on the job.
   "I’ve laughed a lot," the captain said. "I’ve gone home and cried a lot," he noted of the tragedies an officer could encounter on the job.
   While recognizing the accomplishments he has under his belt, including attending a FBI national training camp and counseling officers at Ground Zero following Sept. 11, both done with the department’s chief, Capt. Buchanan said their work has always been a joint effort, one where the members of the department remain "brothers and sisters."