By Sunayana Prabhu
RED BANK – James “Jim” Clayton spent most of his life serving the town he called home. Clayton served more than three decades with the Red Bank Police Department (RBPD), including eight years as chief.
A lifelong Red Bank resident and Vietnam veteran, Clayton joined the department in 1970 and rose through every rank before becoming chief in 1995. He retired from the department in 2003.
Clayton died Sept. 12 at age 79, surrounded by his family, according to his obituary (see page 34 for the full obituary). RBPD also announced his death in a statement Sept. 14, remembering Clayton as a law enforcement officer, leader, veteran, husband, father and grandfather who dedicated decades to the borough and its residents.
“I personally worked with Chief Clayton from 1994 to 2003. Not only was he a great leader, but he was someone who really cared deeply about the community. He will be deeply missed,” current Red Bank Police Chief Michael Frazee said.
The Clayton family has a long history within the ranks of RBPD. The “Clayton name goes way back to six generations in the Red Bank Police Department,” Frazee said. Clayton’s brothers George and Robert Clayton were also former police chiefs as well as their father and possibly their grandfather dating back sometime in the 1800s, Frazee noted. “Capt. Robert Clayton Jr. is currently employed by the police department and oversees our Special Operations Division consisting of our detective bureau, records department and internal affairs,” said Frazee.
According to Clayton’s obituary, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1965 to 1968, including during the Vietnam War. He joined the RBPD March 1, 1970. For a period of time, Clayton oversaw the department’s Criminal Investigations Division, according to the department.
His experience and leadership made him a respected member of the department and a resource for the officers who served alongside him, the department said, noting that Clayton’s legacy remains an important part of the department’s history and tradition.
“Jim was a true gentleman and a genuinely sweet man,” his family wrote in the obituary. “He was a man of few words, but his quiet sense of humor and quick wit always made his family laugh. He was calm, loyal, tough, and never one to complain.”
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations in Clayton’s memory to the Red Bank PBA, 90 Monmouth St., Red Bank, or Little Silver EMS, 480 Prospect Ave., Little Silver.
The article originally appeared in the September 17 – 23, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
