Former Bernards Township Police Chief Charles Fortenbacker died Wednesday. Fortenbacker served as a township police officer for 42 years and was the department's chief for seven years before retiring in 1997. 

Visitation for relatives and friends will be held Monday, from 2–4 p.m., and 6–9 p.m. at Gallaway & Crane Funeral Home in Basking Ridge. 

Funeral services will take place Tuesday at 11 a.m. at The Church of Saint James in Basking Ridge.  

As stated in his obituary by Gallaway & Crane, Fortenbacker "joined the Bernards Township Police Department in 1955, under the late Chief Harry Allen as a special police officer and became a patrolman in 1956. At that time, the BTPD was a three member department. Charlie graduated fourth from the New Jersey State Police Academy in 1956, in a class on 52 municipal offices.

"He was promoted to Sergeant in 1960 when the department expanded to five officers. He attended many police oriented classes that included drug enforcement, radar enforcement, organized crime, and emergency management. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1967. He graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia in 1976, being the first Somerset Hills Police Officer to graduate from the Academy. He was promoted to Captain in 1976, then Chief in 1991. He retired in 1998, when the department had 29 officers."  

Fortenbacker was a lifetime member of The International Association of Chiefs of Police, according information on to the IACP website. 

According to the obituary, Fortenbacker was born June 9, 1930 on Stonehouse Road in Basking Ridge. He graduated from Bernards High in 1948. He excelled in baseball at Bernards High in 1947 and 1948, making All County team in both years and first team all-state in 1948, earning him a tryout with the St. Louis Browns. He was inducted into the Bernards High Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000. 

He was a part of the township's 250th anniversary celebration in 2010, in which he was one of the guests to appear at Ridge High School's "250 Years of Memories." 

Fortenbacker, then 80, was on hand to speak directly to the audience near the end of the show. In his speech, he recalled the township having only three officers when he joined the force in the mid-1950s. The department had 39 officers in 2010, he noted, although that number more recently has been 38 officers.

The township also had no traffic lights at that time, he recalled.

Fortenbacker said he attended the Liberty Corner School until 1944, an era when the school housed eight grades in five classrooms. Teacher Mary Kenney, who later became the school's principal, taught second and third grade in one classroom, he said. 

During his speech, Fortenbacker said he wanted to honor Kenney and June Kennedy, the township's historian, for their dedication to their roles and the local community. 

The obituary states, "Charlie was an exempt member of the Liberty Corner Fire Company, having served as secretary for 10 years. He was a charter member of the Liberty Corner First Aid Squad, having been part of the founding group in 1965. He was also a charter member on PBA Local 139 since 1959 and a charter member of the NJ Police Traffic Officers Association since 1974. In 1998, he was awarded the Anthony Parenti Achievement award for his 25 years of dedicated service to the association. 

"Charlie was also very active in youth baseball since 1968, and was one builders of the Basking Ridge Little League complex on Valley Road. In 1991, Field 1 at the complex was named in his honor, as well as his wife Carmen's for their commitment to the children of Bernards Township. He served as President of BRLL from 1983 to 1997, and currently held the position of District Administrator for District 17." 

Bernards Twp Police Capt. Edward Byrnes commented about Chief Fortenbacker's admirable career as a committed leader, dedicated volunteer, and valuable member of the community.

"I consider myself very lucky to have worked under Chief Fortenbacker, " said Byrnes. "Although I only knew Chief Fortenbacker at the end of his career, it was clear he never lost his drive and passion for police work and helping others. It is impressive that he maintained such a high level of commitment over his forty-two years of service in the Police Department.

"Long before the notion became widespread and taught in police academies, Chief Fortenbacker embodied the spirit of community policing. He always put the residents of Bernards Township first. While I knew him as the Chief of Police, others in town knew him as a volunteer first aid squad member, a volunteer firefighter, or a little league coach and leader. Chief Fortenbacker will be remembered for his selfless dedication and commitment to his community and family," said Byrnes.      

Fortenbacker will be buried in Somerset Hills Memorial Park Mausoleum on Tuesday.