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…
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 …
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 …
Monday, August 20, 2012
Two county officers indicted Monday on official misconduct charges for alleged cover-up following six-town police chase.
Two Bergen County police officers were indicted Monday on charges they worked to hide evidence and lied to investigators following a six-town car chase where one officer allegedly opened fire on a burglary suspect in Bogota. The seven count indictment alleges Bergen County Police Officer Saheed Baksh, 37, removed shell casings from a crime scene after he fired two shots at Francesco Piserchia, who authorities said led officers on a chase from Paramus to West Shore Avenue in Bogota. Although Baksh fired, Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said the casings "which were originally observed at the shooting scene on West Shore Avenue" later went missing. Another county officer who responded, 52-year-old Jeffrey Roberts, failed to "…
Friday, August 10, 2012
County official vows legal challenge as effort to disband police department moves forward.
The Bergen County Freeholders took the first steps Friday in disbanding the county’s police force and merging it with the sheriff’s office in a move that could be met with litigation from the county administration. The freeholders voted to put a non-binding referendum on the November ballot asking the public’s opinion on having the sheriff's office absorb the county police department. In another move, the board voted to approve an ordinance dissolving the county police force. Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan, an opponent of a merger and a referendum, would not enforce the ordinance and would likely challenge the moves in court. “The county executive has said that she will not enforce this ordinance because this ordinance is …
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Freeholders Rob Hermansen and Maura DeNicola purposely skipped meeting, report says
Kelly Van Rijn
9:29 pm on Wednesday, April 10, 2013
You are on to something. Disband all the town PDs and have one county PD. Just ensure the pay scale tops out at $80K, otherwise, you will end up with the mess like NAssau and Suffolk Counties. more ›