Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Members of the borough's police committee want to eliminate the requirement that an officer must hold a degree to be promoted.
Westwood officials are continuing to discuss possible changes to the promotion requirements in the borough's Police Department. Officers must hold a degree in order to be promoted. Councilman Robert Miller, the chair of the police committee, previously said the borough's labor attorney had reported the requirement was "noncompliant" with state law. Miller reported Tuesday that the labor attorney had come for a closed session council meeting to give his opinion to the council, and that officials would discuss the policy again at their next meeting. "Our objective remains the same," Miller said. Miller and other members of the police committee have said they support a change for reasons besides the apparent noncompliance of the rule. …
Monday, May 13, 2013
Police officers in Westwood must have a degree to be promoted.
Westwood officials are reconsidering making a change to the borough Police Department's promotion rules, just months after the Council voted against it. Currently, an officer must have a degree to be promoted, and officials voted to keep that rule last December despite the recommendation of the police committee to remove it. Councilman Robert Miller, the chair of the police committee, brought the issue up again at a Council meeting last week. According to Miller, the borough's labor attorney has deemed that the current rule is "noncompliant" with Title 40A, the state laws which govern municipal government operations. "[Education] can be a consideration," Borough Attorney Russell Huntington said. "It cannot be a bar to consideration." The …
Monday, April 8, 2013
Residents can drop off their medicine April 27.
- PUBLIC SAFETY
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Monday, April 8
The Westwood Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its sixth opportunity in three years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs on April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Residents can bring their medications for disposal to Police Headquarters at 101 Washington Avenue in Westwood. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. Last September, Americans turned in 244 tons of prescription drugs at over 5,200 sites operated by the DEA and its thousands of state and local law enforcement partners. In its five previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in over 2 million pounds — over a thousand tons…
Thursday, March 14, 2013
A Message from the Westwood Department of Public Works and Police
Department.
- GOVERNMENT
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Thursday, March 14
Winter storms can test the patience of Westwood residents, motorists, pedestrians, and snowplow operators. The Department of Public Works is committed to keeping the streets open, the traffic moving, and returning the Borough’s streets and sidewalks to a safe condition as quickly as possible. This article is designed to increase awareness about Westwood’s Snowplowing and Snow Removal program, and to encourage everyones cooperation in helping us achieve our goal. Please read this article to become familiar with the rules and regulations concerning parking, snow removal and town bylaws. All residents and contractors can help by: Parking in the street during a snow storm creates hazardous conditions for both the residents and the snowplow …
Thursday, February 21, 2013
The existing equipment has been in use since the Municipal Complex opened in 1994.
Westwood officials hope to have upgraded 911 system and security equipment in place in the Municipal Complex within a few months. The borough Council voted on a pair of ordinances this week appropriating a total of $255,500 for the two projects. The upgrade will replace existing equipment which has been in use since the Municipal Complex opened in 1994, according to Westwood Police Chief Frank Regino. "Technology has kind of surpassed the equipment that we have," Regino said. The upgrades include new computers and switching equipment for the Police Department's 911 system, for which officials put aside $130,000. Improvements to the Municipal Complex's security system will include new door locks, closed-circuit T.V. cameras for halls and …
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Corey Rooney and Michael Agnello will perform a number of duties, including school and court security.
Corey Rooney and Michael Agnello have been appointed as special officers in the Westwood Police Department. The Westwood Council unanimously voted to approve the two appointments during the meeting Tuesday night. "I feel extremely lucky to find such qualified and eager young men," Police Chief Frank Regino said. Both men were appointed as Class 1 Special Officers, which means they have some police academy training and are granted some law enforcement powers, like traffic enforcement, but do not carry guns and cannot make arrests. Regino said he already had many assignments lined up for Rooney and Agnello, including school and court security, parking enforcement and foot patrols, among others. Have a question or news tip? Contact editor …
Thursday, February 14, 2013
The ambulance was headed to a mutual aid call in Hillsdale and was not carrying a patient at the time.
A Westwood ambulance and a SUV collided on Broadway near the Westwood Plaza late Thursday morning. The ambulance was headed north to a mutual aid call in Hillsdale, Police Chief Frank Regino said. A River Vale resident in a Nissan SUV was driving down Lake Street toward Broadway and reportedly accelerated to make it through the intersection before the traffic light changed, he said. The ambulance had slowed down at the intersection and had just begun to move forward again when the vehicles collided. The driver of the SUV was hospitalized with minor injuries, Regino said. No one in the ambulance was injured. The accident was still under investigation Thursday afternoon. There was no patient in the ambulance at the time of the accident. Have…
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Westwood officials authorized to hire new police officers but voted against changing the education requirement for promotions.
The Westwood Council voted in favor of hiring new police officers, but declined to make changes to the requirements for promotion during their last meeting. Two new officers will be hired to fill existing vacancies in the Westwood Police Department, which have been open for months, Councilman Robert Miller told Patch. The department was also authorized to hire a third new officer if another vacancy opens in the next few months. Officials have been narrowing down the field of candidates for months. The initial pool had about 200 applicants, most of whom were cut after a series of tests and interviews. Six final candidates remain from the police committee's most recent round of interviews. Miller said he hopes to have candidates in place in …
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Westwood and Washington Township officials are considering a plan to have the borough host the township's emergency dispatching.
Westwood Mayor John Birkner and Police Captain Frank Durante attended the Washington Township Council's meeting Monday to answer questions about a possible shared service agreement between the two towns for emergency dispatching. The plan is one of many that local officials have examined for ways to save money on emergency dispatching, though Washington Township councilmen previously said they believed this plan would solve many of the issues residents and emergency officials had with other proposals, such as using Bergen County's dispatch service in Mahwah. "I'm very comfortable with Westwood's ability to provide this service seamlessly," township Councilman Steve Cascio said. Westwood's proposal is that Washington Township would pay an …
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Officials from both towns said they are getting close to reaching a shared service agreement for emergency dispatching.
Officials are examining a plan to have Westwood perform emergency dispatching for Washington Township, though the plan may result in the township's police department being closed at night. Under the plan, emergency dispatching for both towns would be done by a team of four full-time civilian dispatchers, with some per diem dispatchers as needed. Washington Township has been increasing the use civilians, but still has police officers cover their dispatch desk at more expensive rates than civilians in some shifts. The plan addresses some concerns about other shared dispatching services. Township officials had previously considered joining Bergen County's dispatching in Mahwah, but many local emergency responders spoke against the plan …
LivinLocal
11:23 am on Saturday, May 25, 2013
Why do we pay so much for education in our property taxes and then talk about demeaning education as a requirement for a police officer’s promotion? more ›