Monday, June 17, 2013
Police Departments from around Bergen County participate in the program.
Two local children were named the police chiefs of their respective towns Friday. Stefano Benevento was sworn-in as the chief of the Westwood Police Department and Jackie Baez was sworn-in as the chief of the Washington Township Police Department. The appointments lasted for just one day. Both children were chosen as part of the annual "chief for a day" program organized by the Bergen County Sheriff's Office. The program gives kids suffering from health problems a look at the inner workings of law enforcement. Both Stefano and Jackie got their own child-sized chief uniforms and met with police officers in their respective towns. They then traveled to Hackensack to meet with the 26 other chiefs and New York Giant Jim Cordle at the Bergen …
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
A Washington Township husband and wife were found dehydrated and confused after a neighbor reported not seeing them for days.
Police and firefighters rescued an "elderly" man who was found stuck in the attic of his Washington Township home Tuesday. He had apparently been trapped since Sunday. According to Det. Sgt. John Calamari, a concerned neighbor called police to report he hadn't seen the couple in days. Police Lt. Gregg Hackbarth and Officer Vincent Santa arrived at the Gabriel Way home and spotted someone lying on the floor inside. They broke into the home and found one of the residents, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, lying naked on the floor. She was "confused and dehydrated," Calamari said. She also wasn't sure how long it had been since she'd seen her husband. Police continued their search of the home and located the man in the attic, caught in …
Sunday, May 19, 2013
A pickup truck collided with a car traveling in the opposite direction on Washington Avenue.
A driver was hospitalized Sunday morning after a pickup truck lost control and collided with a car in Washington Township. The driver of the truck was travelling on Washington Avenue at about 10:45 a.m. when she lost control of the truck and collided with a car driving in the opposite direction. The truck rolled over onto its side. Members of the Westwood Volunteer Ambulance Corps drove the victim to Hackensack University Medical Center. Washington Township Police, firefighters and paramedics from the Valley Hospital also responded to the scene. Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Jim Leggate at Jim.Leggate@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Monday, April 29, 2013
A message from Washington Township Police Chief Randy Ciocco.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Monday, April 29
The nationwide "If You See Something, Say Something" public awareness campaign is a simple and effective program to raise public awareness of indicators of terrorism and terrorism-related crime, and to emphasize the importance of reporting suspicious activityto the proper local law enforcement authorities. If you see something suspicious taking place then report that behavior or activity to local law enforcement or, in the case of emergency, call 911. Factors such as race, ethnicity, national origin, or religious affiliation alone are not suspicious. For that reason, the public should report only suspicious behavior and situations (e.g., an unattended backpack in a public place or someone trying to break into a restricted area) rather than…
Thursday, March 7, 2013
A message from the Washington Township Police Department.
- PUBLIC SAFETY
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Thursday, March 7
Due to the recent tragic shooting incidents all over this country, firearms possession and their safe handling have become very important issues. We at the Twp. of Washington Police Department would like to remind all residents that it is the gun owner’s responsibility to make sure that their firearms are kept out of the hands of juveniles, and other persons who have no right to possess them. New Jersey Statute 2C:58-16 states in part, “IT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE TO LEAVE A LOADED FIREARM WITHIN EASY ACCESS OF A MINOR.” Gun owners should keep their firearms locked up, and should consider the use of trigger locking devices, which prevent the trigger from being pulled. Residents who are in possession of unwanted firearms or ammunition can turn…
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
A Washington Township Police Officer correctly answered five out of five questions about filing complaints against police.
The Washington Township Police Department was one of 121 in New Jersey that got a "perfect score" in a recent test from the ACLU. Volunteers from the ACLU called almost 500 police departments across the state and asked five questions about residents filing complaints against police, according to a report released last week. When a volunteer called Washington Township Police, the officer who answered the call answered all the questions correctly, according to the report. Police Chief Randy Ciocco said that the department has spent a lot of time "to get the whole internal affairs process down pat." "If there's a complaint, our officers are trained to take it," Ciocco said. "I'm very happy that whoever took the call did the right thing." …
Monday, February 11, 2013
The Washington Township Council approved a salary ordinance for police lasting through 2014.
The Washington Township Council voted unanimously to pass a new salary ordinance for the Police Department during their meeting Monday. The council had approved a new agreement with the PBA at their previous meeting. The salary ordinance set the salaries as agreed to in the new contract, which retroactively takes effect as of January 1, 2012 and lasts through 2014. The new ordinance includes a 1.5 percent salary increase each year for three years. The highest salary included in the ordinance, for a senior officer captain, will increase from $128,066 in 2011 to $133,916 in 2014. A patrolman's salary will increase from $102,064 in 2011 to $106,726 in 2014. The new contract also eliminates terminal leave as of December 31, 2011, according to …
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Police said the cause of the accident was not immediately known.
A 30-year-old Washington Township woman drove off Pascack Road and hit a tree at about noon Thursday, according to Police Lt. Rich Skinner. The woman had been driving southbound on Pascack Road and had just passed through the intersection of Ridgewood Road when she veered off the road and hit a tree, Skinner said. Firefighters responded to the scene to cut open the car to free the driver. The woman was transported to Hackensack University Medical Center. The extent of her injuries were not immediately known, Skinner said. Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Jim Leggate at Jim.Leggate@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
The new contract will last through 2014.
Washington Township officials and police have completed a new PBA contract which will last through December 31, 2014. The council passed a resolution approving the agreement during their meeting this week and will vote on an ordinance authorizing funding for the contract at their next meeting. The new contract eliminates terminal leave as of December 31, 2011, according to Mayor Janet Sobkowicz. Officers who have leave saved from before that time will still receive it, but they will not be able to accumulate any more. Sobkowicz called the elimination of terminal leave a "major step" in making long-term savings for the township. In exchange, the department's 18 officers will receive a 1.5 percent salary increase, Sobkowicz said. "We worked …
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Mayor Janet Sobkowicz aims to save money while maintaining existing services by replacing police dispatchers with civilian dispatchers.
Washington Township Mayor Janet Sobkowicz explained a plan for how the township's emergency dispatching will operate in the future during a council meeting Monday night. The dispatch, which is used for the township's police, firefighters, EMTs and DPW, will have three full-time civilian dispatchers on weekdays and two or three part-time dispatchers on weekends, Sobkowicz said. One of the full-time dispatchers would act as the "lead" and be responsible for training and scheduling the others. The civilian dispatchers will replace police officers, who make more money per hour working on the dispatch desk. Officials previously said no police would lose their jobs because of the plan. Officials said the lead dispatcher would make about $40,000…
LivinLocal
12:55 pm on Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Rumor has it Westwood's Council is STILL weighing the value of education and seniority in their ongoing talks over promotion credentials. Guess when the votes come down we'll know which Council people value education and which think just showing up to work a lot of years is all it take to be a manager. more ›