John F. Baujan became chief of the Stroud Area Regional Police Department (SARPD) in October, 2003 after serving in the chief’s position temporarily while the department’s police commission searched for a permanent replacement for its first chief, who resigned in 2002 to pursue another job opportunity. 

Baujan, 48 was born and raised in Stroudsburg and still resides in Stroudsburg with his family. He seems to have police work in his blood. His father, John Baujan, was a Stroudsburg police patrolman from 1947 through 1978, retiring as chief of the department. His uncle, William Baujan, served as a Stroudsburg police officer in the late 1930s until World War II, when he began a stint in the military.  

The younger John Baujan received an associate’s degree in police science from York College in 1977. He qualified to become a municipal police officer through Pennsylvania’s Act 120 – the Municipal Officers Training Act.  

n 1979, Baujan began work as a patrol officer for Stroudsburg police. In 1988, he was assigned to the Stroudsburg department’s two-man Detective Unit with fellow officer Charles Schmidt. In 1995, he was promoted to sergeant, and continued to serve with the Detective Unit until 2002. In 2002, he was promoted to Captain, after which, he was appointed to serve in the then-vacant chief’s position. He applied for the permanent chief’s position, among 29 other applicants. He was eventually chosen as chief after a lengthy interview process by three panels.

 “I’m extremely happy to be working as police chief in my own hometown, surrounded by such a professional group of people. It has been a dream come true for me,” Baujan says.