Chief of Police Christopher Battiloro

Christopher Battiloro was officially appointed as the Town of Westfield’s 10th Chief of Police on December 13, 2018 by the Town Administrator following an extensive and thorough search process.  Having served as the Acting Chief of Police since August 1, 2018, his permanent appointment received the consent of the Mayor and unanimous approval of the Town Council.

The son of former Westfield Fire Chief Paul A. Battiloro, Jr., Chief Battiloro was born and raised in Westfield and graduated from Westfield Senior High School in 1991 and Clemson University in 1995 (BA, History).  Upon graduating from college, Chief Battiloro was almost immediately appointed to the Westfield Police Department as a 9-1-1 Police-Fire-EMS Public Safety Telecommunicator.  He was subsequently appointed as a Police Officer in 1997 and attended the John H. Stamler Police Academy of Union County, where he graduated #1 in his police officer recruit class with a final academic score of 96.37.

At police academy graduation, Chief Battiloro was presented with the Academic Achievement Award (presented by the Union County Police Chiefs Association to the police officer recruit who attained the highest overall academic average), the Officer Anthony F. Lordi, Jr. Memorial Award (presented by the Union County Prosecutor’s Office to a police officer recruit for outstanding achievement in the area of constitutional law), and the John H. Stamler Merit Award (presented by the John H. Stamler Police Academy of Union County to the police officer recruit who others voted as having shown exceptional professional skills and recognized by his peers as the officer they would most like to serve with).

As a Police Officer, Chief Battiloro was assigned to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office’s High Tech Task Force.  While assigned to this newly-created, innovative investigative unit, he was granted the authority of a county detective/investigator and possessed full police powers in all criminal matters.  He was charged by the Union County Prosecutor with investigating crimes that involved the use of computers, which included, but were not limited to: various types of theft; possession and distribution of child pornography; and other forms of child endangerment and exploitation.  As a result of his performance while assigned to the High Tech Task Force, Chief Battiloro was named “Union County Municipal Police Officer of the Year” in 2001.  He was selected to receive this award by the Union County Prosecutor from among 2,000 full-time, regular municipal police officers in Union County.

Chief Battiloro was promoted to Sergeant of Police in 2006 and Lieutenant of Police in 2008, both as a result of superior performance on competitive written and oral examinations administered by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police and was promoted to Captain of Police in 2013.  As Captain of Police, Chief Battiloro was initially assigned as the commanding officer of the Operations Division – the department’s largest component – with direct supervisory authority over and full responsibility for all uniformed patrol supervisors and patrol officers.

Just prior to his appointment as the Acting Chief of Police, he was assigned as the commanding officer of the Administrative & Support Services Division, with direct supervisory authority over and full responsibility for all sworn police officers and civilian employees assigned to the department’s various specialized bureaus, units and/or functions.  These included: 9-1-1 Police-Fire-EMS Communications; Agency Training; Internal Affairs & Professional Standards; Records & Information Technology; Special Police Officers; and Traffic Safety. 

As the commanding officer of the Internal Affairs & Professional Standards Unit, Chief Battiloro conducted or supervised the investigation of over 150 complaints of police misconduct and alleged violations of department rules, regulations or operating procedures by sworn law enforcement officers and civilian employees.  

Chief Battiloro has been certified as an Instructor by the New Jersey Police Training Commission and served as a member of the instructional staff at the John H. Stamler Police Academy of Union County, having taught both recruit and in-service police training classes, including Methods of Instruction, the requisite course mandated by the New Jersey Police Training Commission to be certified as an Instructor.

Chief Battiloro is a highly decorated law enforcement officer, having been awarded two (2) Life Saving Awards, four (4) Command Citations, two (2) Unit Citations, the Hurricane Sandy and COVID-19 Exceptional Service Awards, and four (4) Certificates of Merit.  He was awarded designation as a New Jersey Certified Emergency Manager – 1 of only about 200 such credentials ever awarded to date – and currently serves as the Emergency Management Coordinator for the Town of Westfield.  Chief Battiloro has commanded operations during several major emergencies, such as Hurricane Irene in 2011, Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and Hurricane Ida in 2021, as well as many complex special events requiring extensive security planning. 

Chief Battiloro and his wife, Jana, have three (3) children: Linnea, age 19, Christopher, age 17, and Meghan, age 13.  He is extremely proud to serve as Westfield’s Chief of Police and looks forward to serving the Town of Westfield and its citizens for years to come.