By Anne Levin

Jonathan Bucchere, Princeton’s police chief for the past two years, will retire at the end of this month. Subject to approval by the mayor and Council — likely at the July 22 Council meeting — his replacement will be current Captain Christopher Tash, who, like Bucchere is a longtime member of the Princeton Police Department (PPD).

“I’ve worked my entire career with Chris Tash, and I absolutely know he is going to do a spectacular job as chief,” said Bucchere. “It gives me great joy that he is going to take over and continue to do special things for this town, his way.”

Bucchere, 48, has been with the PPD for nearly 25 years. He was born in Princeton and grew up here and in Hightstown. He was hired by the former Princeton Borough in 1999. His work on the police force includes patrol officer, field training officer, the community policing unit, and the Detective Bureau, where he was promoted to sergeant. After consolidation of the former borough and township, he worked in the Safe Neighborhood Bureau.

“It was there I made a lot of my contacts in the community,” he said. “I was then promoted out of there to lieutenant, captain, and then chief. I was lucky in the sense that I made chief after 23 years. That was to my benefit. I was chief a little shy of two years, and I felt during that period that I was able to accomplish a lot.”

At the top of Bucchere’s list of achievements while serving as chief is recruitment selection. “We hired nine officers, and in my opinion they are a diverse group that represents the demographics of the town,” he said. “That’s not easy to accomplish.”

Bucchere is proud of the establishment of the Citizens’ Police Academy, which completed its second program this past spring. “I think it’s going to be a staple for the department for years to come,” he said. “I’m also excited that we reinstated the awards ceremony where we celebrate our officers and the great work they do. We hadn’t done that since consolidation.”

He is also pleased that the town no longer contracts out for privatized dispatch services. “The contract we had with IXP (Corp.) expired in December, and we hired and trained a team of new dispatchers who became municipal employees,” he said. “Bringing it back in-house was a great thing. We were able to do it in a short amount of time, and I think the town will benefit for years to come.”

It was “a combination of things” that led to Bucchere’s decision to retire. “I went back and forth, but it was the right decision,” he said. “I arrived at it after some discussions with my family. My oldest son is in college at the University of Alabama, and my second son is going to Stevens Institute of Technology in the fall, where he’ll play soccer. My youngest plays lacrosse at Notre Dame High School. I want to be able to spend more time with them and take part in all of that.”

While he will take some time off, Bucchere has no intention of remaining idle. “I have a lot of stamina left. But my next role, whatever it is, will be less stressful for sure,” he said. “I’m putting my family first for a while.”

Bucchere’s last day of work is July 31. He leaves with a deep appreciation of Princeton. “I love this town. I love this department,” he said. “The idea of retiring at a time when I love it as much as I do is so appealing to me. I don’t think everybody gets to do that. I’m leaving with that, and that is special.”