Working with the Plainsboro Police Department has given Chief Elizabeth Bondurant the chance to wear many hats — interacting with the community, serving as a teacher and mentor, and supervising a sometimes discontented group of police officers.##M:[more]##
Now, after 25 years with the department Bondurant will retire on October 1.
A member of the Plainsboro Police Department since 1983, Bondurant worked her way up through the ranks, serving in the patrol division and detective bureau. She was appointed sergeant in 1987, lieutenant in 1994, police captain in 2004, and chief of police in 2007. Bondurant has served as the highest ranking officer since her time as captain, during which a civilian director of public safety oversaw the department, and has spent almost half of her career in administrative positions.
“I’ve handled every responsibility except for traffic within this agency,” Bondurant says. “My goal as a command officer was to mentor and train the younger officers to move into these leadership roles. I think we’ve done an excellent job in preparing them to move into the future.”
Township officials credit Bondurant with being a big influence on the success and growth of the department since its creation in 1978. “Looking back 25 years, the department was just getting started,” Township Administrator Bob Sheehan said. “Liz was one of the earlier hires. She evolved professionally as the organization evolved.”
Although there have been some instances of unrest in the department over the years, even before Bondurant was chief (a series of anonymous letters were sent out this spring, including one that questioned Bondurant’s motives for retirement, implying she was leaving to avoid dealing with the fallout from the unrest), township officials have nothing but praise for Bondurant, who says she announced her retirement in May before any of those letters were even sent to the press. “She’s an excellent employee,” Sheehan said. “She’s provided service for this community above and beyond the call of duty. That’s going to be how she’s remembered when she retires.”
Sheehan said Bondurant is eligible to retire on October 1. Although Bondurant signed a three-year contract with the township in 2007, the contract is not binding for the term, he said. Sheehan also said township officials have not yet outlined a timeframe for finding her successor. “We will move forward with a transition I trust will be smooth,” he said. “She’s done a lot of good things that will hold the department in good order.”
Being a mentor and teaching, Bondurant says, has been a cornerstone of her personal and professional life. For the past 12 years, she has taught a variety of courses as an adjunct professor for the Mercer County Community College criminal justice program, with a focus on law enforcement and corrections.
Bondurant earned a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from East Stroudsburg State College, and a master’s degree in criminal justice management from Jersey City State College. A graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, she is designated as a New Jersey Supervisory Certified Public Manager in the Law Enforcement Program.
“Another part of who I am is a teacher,” she says. “This job has allowed me to cultivate and use those skills within public safety.”
In the early part of her career, Bondurant says, she enjoyed working the road and dealing with various problems everyday, never knowing what to expect. Yet, she loved handling whatever problem arose, and watching the department “grow as the town grew.”
In the later part of her career, she says it was important for her to be part of the decision-making team and influence the future of the police department “and how we do policing in Plainsboro,” including proactively solving problems, and having the officers build relationships with the community.
“My memories are more in a broad stroke than in one particular incident,” she said. She will miss “not having that usual morning routine of arriving at work early, meeting with the officers who are on duty, getting informed as to what happened on the previous shifts, and being in the know of what’s going on in Plainsboro.”
Over the years, Bondurant has been responsible for the implementation of various community outreach programs, including the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, which has grown to be the largest in the county. The program helps communities mitigate disasters during the first 72 hours following the event. Her work also included the creation of the department’s Domestic Violence Response Team 12 years ago.
“We rely on the community, and the community relies on us,” Bondurant says, adding that having such a good partnership with the community has accounted for much of the department’s success.
Under Bondurant’s leadership, Plainsboro police, along with Lawrence police, hold an expo at the Quakerbridge Mall every April to educate residents and reach out to them, regarding issues like drunken driving, a high priority on Bondurant’s list. For Bondurant, the issue hits close to home. Her brother lost his life as a result of a single-car accident involving alcohol in 1978, before Bondurant became an officer. Since then, she says, she has worked to reduce such incidents, and thinks Plainsboro police have done a good job in doing so. During the expo, police also perform child safety seat inspections and hold demonstrations with the canine unit.
When asked what advice she would give to the next police chief in dealing with disgruntled employees, Bondurant says: “You can’t make everybody happy all the time. You just have to deal with the issue and handle your personnel matters as expeditiously and fairly as possible, which I believe I have done consistently throughout my career.”
And whether it is dealing with employees or with the community, to have things run smoothly, it all comes down to making decisions basd on how they will impact the department as a whole, she says. “You need to listen to your personnel and the community,” Bondurant says. “You need to run your administration as transparently as you can. You inform your employees as to the decisions you make. You can quell a lot of rumors by keeping people informed.”
Bondurant says she will be assisting the town in the coming months in determining “how best to move forward,” even though she acknowledges that the decision is ultimately up to township officials.
Says Bondurant: “I look at this as an opportunity to continue my public service, but in a different light, whether its through teaching or in a supportive role in a different law enforcement category. There are some exciting opportunities around the corner for me. For me, it’s time to open a new chapter.”
