Friday, May 17, 2013
Through a joint statement, the mayor and council said Thursday ‘misunderstandings’ led to an approval that increased police overtime spending last year, and promised to work together more effectively in the future to avoid such misunderstandings.
Mahwah township officials have dropped a potential investigation into the approval increased police overtime last year, citing “multiple misunderstandings,” that led to the increase. Last month, the township council formed an ad hoc committee to investigate whether or not it would be feasible to fund an investigation to determine who approved a policy that allowed police officers to attend Tuesday night court proceedings in the township. The policy change led to an increase in police overtime spending, but the township prosecutor, police chief, and mayor all declined authorizing the new policy. At Thursday night’s council meeting, the council discussed the results of the ad hoc committee’s findings in closed session before reading a …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
This take-back has yielded more than any before it, Mahwah police say.
During a four-hour period one Saturday morning in April, Mahwah police officers say dozens of area residents went to the police station to turn in old prescriptions and unused medications. According to the MPD, this spring’s “Operation Take-Back” netted 70 pounds of prescription drugs. The Operation, part of a national effort orchestrated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, asks residents to drop off unused prescription pills, no questions asked. “We filled four garbage bags with the pills we collected,” Police Chief Jim Batelli said. “It’s good, we encourage people to drop off the pills. Though there is nothing illegal about these drugs, the amount we collect shows the availability of these drugs. Turning them in gets rid of the …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Police found a homeless man from Hackensack hiding underneath a bed in a Mahwah home Wednesday morning, authorities said.
An astute neighbor may have prevented what cops are calling a would-be burglary near Franklin Turnpike Wednesday morning. A Winter Terrace resident called police Wednesday morning to report a suspicious person wandering around the neighborhood and snapped a photo of the man on her smart phone, according to police. Responding officers used the photo while searching the neighborhood for the man, Police Chief Jim Batelli said. Police eventually located Joseph Lisanti, a 27-year-old homeless man, hiding under the bed of a second floor bedroom in a nearby Winter Terrace home that had an unlocked back door, Batelli said. According to cops, Lisanti, who is living in a homeless shelter in Hackensack, took a train from Hackensack to Mahwah …
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Six people allegedly found in possession of various drugs including heroin, ecstasy and prescription drugs were arrested on new charges during the sweep, police said
Two dozen people were arrested in a large-scale warrant sweep targeting locals who either failed to appear in municipal court or did not pay outstanding fines, Mahwah police said Tuesday. In the course of the sweep, conducted over the weekend, six people were arrested on new narcotics charges and 38 outstanding warrants were cleared, police said. According to police, the warrants served also netted $13,344 in outstanding bail. “These outstanding warrants underscore the number of individuals who are arrested in our jurisdiction who either fail to appear in court when directed or fail to make partial payments of fines,” Mahwah Police Chief Jim Batelli said Tuesday. “In many cases these individuals had moved to other areas or lived transient…
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Police used DNA swabbed from bottles of iced tea left in burglarized cars to identify a Mahwah man they said stole thousands of dollars from the parked cars last year
A DNA test has led to the arrest of a 21-year-old Mahwah man who allegedly stole thousands of dollars worth of cash and merchandise from several cars parked around residential neighborhoods in the Cragmere section of Mahwah last Spring, police said Thursday. Last May, police investigated the reported burglaries of cash, GPS devices, purses, jewelry, wallets, sunglasses, phone charges, credit cards and drivers licenses from cars parked near Cragmere homes, Police Chief Jim Batelli said Thursday. The cars were parked both in the streets outside the homes and in driveways, and were likely left unlocked, police said. In two of the burglarized cars, police recovered glass bottles of iced tea that the car owners said did not belong to them, …
Event Saturday is part of the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day
A federal drug take-back program that has yielded significant collections of unwanted medications in the township before is happening again this Saturday. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., locals can drop off “potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs” at the Mahwah Police Station as part of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. Saturday marks the fourth time Mahwah has participated in the take-back. According to Police Chief Jim Batelli, each time the PD participates, “the amount of prescription drugs turned in increases.” According to the DEA, the Take-Back Day last September collected 244 tons of prescription drugs at over 5,200 participating stations across the country. The agency’s …
Monday, April 22, 2013
One adult from NY and three teens from Mahwah will be charged as a result of the incident, police said.
Three Mahwah teenagers and an 18-year-old from New York were arrested in Mahwah after they allegedly broke into an empty condominium with marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and led cops on a foot chase through several township backyards Friday evening, police said Monday. According to Mahwah Police Chief Jim Batelli, Mahwah Officers William Hunt and David Vega responded to a vacant condo unit on Thoreau Court after neighbors reported possible drug use and smells coming from one of the units. According to police, the five teenagers in the unit fled when cops knocked on the door, and ran through nearby backyards, prompting 911 calls from several local residents. Mahwah cops called for backup from Bergen County and Ramsey police. After a foot …
Friday, April 19, 2013
The mayor and members of the township council exchanged emotional statements Thursday night after the council moved to formally investigate a question surrounding police overtime expenditures in 2012
Local politicians’ emotions were on high Thursday night as council members made moves to start a formal investigation to try to determine who approved a police overtime policy change that cost Mahwah $500K last year. At recent council meetings, members have questioned who approved a policy change in January 2012 that required police officers to attend court proceedings on Tuesday nights for the tickets they write out. At past meetings, Police Chief Jim Batelli, Municipal Prosecutor Dennis Harraka, and Mayor Bill Laforet all denied approving the policy switch. The questioning was prompted by an increase in police overtime costs in 2012. According to township officials, OT in 2011 cost the township $327,000, and $514,000 in 2012. After …
Thursday, April 18, 2013
The fire began when students set off fireworks in the school parking lot, police said.
Three Lincoln Tech students were charged Thursday in connection with a fire that fully engulfed a large, steel dumpster in their school’s parking lot Wednesday afternoon, police said. Bryan Toro, 18, of Oak Ridge, Eric Calixto, 20, from Passaic, and Yobery Jimenez, 18, from Teaneck, were charged with possession and illegal use of fireworks, and are potentially facing additional charges after allegedly shooting off fireworks that caused the dumpster to burst into flames, Police Chief Jim Batelli said. The students allegedly had a bag of fireworks, consisting of mostly bottle rockets, and were shooting them off in the parking lot Wednesday when one sparked the contents of the dumpster, police said. The fire, which broke out in the rear of …
The inappropriate spam photo was sent to township children as young as 12, officials said
Mahwah schools and the Mahwah Police Department alerted parents in the township Wednesday about a pornographic photo that they say has been sent to a “large number” of Mahwah students using the mobile app, “Snapchat.” With the app, users can send photos to friends. The photos appear on the recipient’s phone for a limited period of time, usually 10 seconds, before automatically deleting. According to a notice sent home to parents by the district, middle and high school students have reported receiving the same photo of a naked woman through the app. Authorities say they believe the inappropriate photo was likely sent as part of a spam ring, though they do not know its origins. “We received several reports [Tuesday afternoon] from parents …
Ralph Donorio
5:31 am on Saturday, May 18, 2013
Seriously, this is all a cover up. We want to know who is Respnsible???????? more ›