Friday, April 5, 2013
Panelists will answer the question "Why is the Bergen County Police Department needed?"
A public forum focused on the relevance of the Bergen County Police Department, something which has been a hot topic over the past year and more, is set for next Tuesday night in Paramus. The League of Women Voters of Bergen will host this forum which will be held in the auditorium of the Bergen County Community Service Building, located at 327 Ridgewood Avenue at the corner of Farview Avenue. The forum will begin at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 9. A panel of police professionals will respond to the question of "why is the Bergen County Police Department needed?" County Police Chief Brian Higgins will be among the panelists. He will review the history and mission of the department and explain the broad scope of services that the Department of…
Friday, March 15, 2013
The county police water search and recovery unit was deployed to help rescue the injured animal, officials said
The Bergen County Police and Bergen County Animal Control rescued a “swan in distress” from the lower lake of the Ramapo Reservation Thursday afternoon, BCPO Lt. James Mullin confirmed Thursday. But, the swan is still fighting off injuries it sustained in the process, officials said. According to Mullin, the swan has a hook stuck in it and was “in danger of death.” The swan was “impaled by a large fish hook and [had] fishing line wrapped around its neck, restricting its head movement so it could not lift its head out of the water,” Mullin said. It was stuck about 20 yards off shore, Mullin said. The BCPD's water search and recovery unit attempted to reach the swan via a small motor boat, but “when the swan heard the boats motor start up it…
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
The video depicts two armed shooters breaking into a local school, and aims to teach school officials and emergency workers how to respond, report says
A new 20-minute video that depicts how police agencies, fire departments, emergency responders and school personnel should react to “active shooter” situations in schools is now available to districts across Bergen County, NJ.com reported Tuesday. “Lockdown,” which was produced by the County Prosecutor’s Office and filmed at David E. Owens Middle School over a year ago, simulates a two armed attackers breaking into the school with rifles and a homemade bomb, the report says. According to NJ.com, the video shows how two teachers react to the situation differently, and points out which reaction is better, and why. "There have been so many [school shootings], and no two are ever identical," said Bergen County Police Sgt. John LaDuca explained…
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Inspectors to spread out across Bergen County and authorities will have “zero tolerance” for fraudulent home repair companies and contractors, the Bergen County Executive said.
Officials will inspect contractors working on repairs in areas slammed by Superstorm Sandy as part of a new county police-led task force designed to protect homeowners from storm-related scams, the county executive announced Tuesday. “My administration will have zero tolerance for fraudulent home improvement companies or any contractor or company that seeks to take advantage of vulnerable people suffering from the terrible tragedy that hit our county,” Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan said in a statement. Led by County Police Capt. Victor F. Cuttitta Jr., the task force will include officials from the Consumer Affairs and Consumer Protections offices. Inspectors will fan out across Bergen County, with special attention given to …
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Effort to disband Bergen County Police Department failed with a 3-2 vote.
Bergen County Freeholder John Driscoll released a statement Friday explaining why he opted to abstain from a hotly-debated vote on folding the county police department into the sheriff's office. The freeholders on Wednesday voted 3-2 to reject an ordinance that would have eliminated the 89-member county police department. Freeholder Joan Voss also abstained. Driscoll's full statement is below: “I want to take this opportunity to give my reason for my abstention vote on the County Police ordinance. I have sat and watched as this ever import issue was batted around over the last few months. Since July I have been calling for the three leaders of law enforcement in Bergen County to come together on this issue. I believe that there are…
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Effort to eliminate county police department is defeated in 3-2 vote.
The Bergen County Freeholders on Wednesday voted against an ordinance to disband the county’s 89-member police department and merge it with the sheriff’s office, northjersey.com reported. The vote came after more than a year of debate, two studies and legal action. In a 3-2 vote with two abstentions, the board nixed the ordinance after initially approving it on first reading in August with a 4-2 vote. County Executive Kathleen Donovan, a strong supporter of the county police, had vowed to veto a vote to disband the department and called the idea “idiotic” at a freeholder work session. Freeholders Maura DeNicola and Robert Hermansen voted against the merger, along with Freeholder David Ganz, who first voted for the measure in August. …
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Former Bergen County prosecutor, executive, sheriff and police chief argue that merging the county police and sheriff's offices may actually cost taxpayers more
Three former Bergen County officials threw their support behind the Bergen County Police Department in an ongoing debate about whether or not the department should be merged with the Sheriff’s Department. Former Bergen County Executive William “Pat” Schuber, former County Prosecutor Jay Fahy, and Joel Trella, who served both as the county Sheriff and the BCPD Chief, held a press conference at the Bergen County Law and Public Safety Institute in Mahwah Tuesday afternoon to argue against a proposed ordinance that would disband the BCPD and incorporate some of its functions into the Sheriff’s Department. The three argued against points that have been presented by supporters of the merger — namely that it would be a cost savings to the county …
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Woman lost sight of her boyfriend when the two went swimming in a restricted lake at the reservation, police said
Bergen County Police located the body of a man in his mid-20’s who was swimming illegally in the upper lake at the Ramapo Valley Reservation in Mahwah Thursday afternoon, Sgt. Robert Abrahamsen confirmed. The body was located at about 4:55 p.m., he said. “I am not sure how the body was located, whether it was with the [county’s new underwater search] robot, or by a diver,” Abrahamsen said. At about 2:44 p.m. Thursday, police received a 911 call from a woman in her mid-20’s reporting that she and her boyfriend had swam across the upper lake, BCPD Lt. Jim Mullin said. “She said that she had made it to the other side, but when she got there she didn’t see him.” The county’s Water Search and Recovery team conducted a water search in the …
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Bergen County Police say the remote control evidence recovery robot is one of only a half dozen in the county and provides a valuable shared service that local municipalities likely couldn't afford on their own.
An underwater robot the size of a microwave has found its way into the crossfire of a divisive county-wide debate. This week, the Bergen County Police Department’s Water Search and Recovery Unit showed off its new SeaBotix LBV-200-4 Mini ROV — a robot designed to assist the 15-person unit in underwater search and recovery. During a demonstration at the lower lake of the Ramapo Reservation in Mahwah this week, BCPD Sgt. Mark Tiedemann showcased the remote-control device, which sends a video feed from underwater to its operator on dry land. County police conducted the demonstration in the long shadow of a debate over whether or not the county’s police department — and its specialty units like the WSAR — will continue to exist on their own or…
Friday, September 7, 2012
Ruling allows freeholders to vote on disbanding the Bergen County Police Department.
A judge has blocked a non-binding referendum asking if the Bergen County police should be merged into the sheriff’s office, but allowed the freeholder board to move ahead with an ordinance to disband the county police, northjersey.com reported. Superior Court Judge Menelaos Toskos ruled Friday that the court could not move on an issue before it becomes an ordinance, the report said. While the merger question won’t appear on the ballot, the freeholders could vote at their Sept. 12 meeting to disband the county police department. County Executive Kathleen Donovan, a supporter of the county police, is all but certain to veto the move. The freeholders voted 4-2 in August to give voters a chance to weigh in on the proposed merger and passed an …
melissa lewis
12:10 am on Tuesday, April 9, 2013
I agree with average joe, well said!!! The sheriffs purpose are to the sheriff re elected. Whatever that entails, guaranteed its not your best interests more ›