Thursday, July 26, 2012
Westwood Mayor John Birkner proposed the borough could host their own and Washington Township's emergency dispatching services to save money for both towns.
Shared dispatching is still an option for Westwood and Washington Township to save money, according to local officials. Washington Township councilmen said at their meeting this week they were still open to investigating a proposal from Westwood Mayor John Birkner that the towns share emergency dispatching services. Birkner shared the idea in March and sent a proposal to township officials in April, but they had not yet given an official response because they wanted to know more about the capital costs associated with the plan. According to a letter from Westwood Police Chief Frank Regino to the members of the Westwood Borough Police Committee, a test run with shared dispatching for the two towns "was relatively quiet." Dispatchers fielded…
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Local police participated int he 29th annual New Jersey Law Enforcement Torch Run Friday to raise money for the Special Olympics.
Police officers from local departments around the Pascack Valley participated in the 29th annual New Jersey Law Enforcement Torch Run Friday morning. The run benefits the Special Olympics. New Jersey is the only state in which Special Olympic atheletes do not have to pay any money to enter. Runners from Park Ridge brought the torch to the ShopRite in Hillsdale, where the next team took it through Westwood the the ShopRite in Emerson. Have a question or news tip? Contact editor James Leggate at JMLeggate@gmail.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Police welcomed 6-year-old Christopher Mrsich and his family into their department Friday.
Six-year-old Westwood resident Christopher Mrsich was appointed the borough's "chief for a day" Friday. Mrsich and his brothers, Thomas and George, received their own child-size police uniforms and got to tour the police department before they went to Hackensack to meet with other one-day police chiefs from more than 30 Bergen County law enforcement agencies. The annual "chief for a day" program is organized by the Bergen County Sheriff's Office for children with chronic health conditions. Westwood Police Chief Frank Regino said he hopes the program can help families of children with special needs. "I think it's extremely beneficial for the community to have the police department involved in all its activities," Regino said. Have a …
Sunday, March 4, 2012
A look back at the past week in Westwood and Washington Township.
State Health Commissioner Mary O'Dowd announced Monday that she had given final approval for the plan to reopen the former Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood. Hackensack University Medical Center plans to reopen the 128-room hospital as HUMC North at Pascack Valley. They have been running an emergency room at the facility while waiting for approval. Governor Chris Christie held a town hall meeting in Westwood Wednesday, at which he praised the commissioner's decision, saying the hospital will bring jobs back to the area and improve local medical care. *** Westwood Police arrested two men Monday who allegedly argued with a jogger before purposefully hitting him with a car and fleeing the scene. *** The Washington Township Zoning Board …
Monday, February 6, 2012
Police say the man stole cars in Westwood, Tenafly and East Windsor.
A 22-year-old man was arrested and charged with the theft of several cars, including a $71,000 Mercedes Benz he allegedly stole from a Westwood dealership, according to Westwood Police. Michael Quezada, of North Bergen, was arrested by East Windsor Police Friday when they spotted him in another stolen vehicle. According to Westwood Police, Quezada and an unidentified man visited the dealership near closing time on December 5 and had a sales person show them the 2010 Mercedes Benz GL550. Later that night, a security camera taped two men who broke into the lot and drove the car away. Quezada was identified from the video, police said. Quezada was also identified from a video of a similar incident that occured in Tenafly last month, according…
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Thomas Lagatol was named chief of the Westwood Police Department in 1985
Friday, November 4, 2011
Both police departments will get funds to replace body armor
The police departments in both Westwood and Washington Township will receive grant money to purchase or replace body armor vests for its officers, Attorney General Paula T. Dow announced Tuesday. The Washington Township Police Department is slated to receive $2,289.36 while the Westwood Police Department will get $2,715.39. The state Division of Criminal Justice is providing nearly $3.6 million to more than 500 law enforcement agencies across New Jersey through the state's Body Armor Replacement Fund. The fund was established in 1998 and is paid for through a $1 surcharge on traffic tickets and forfeitures of bail. The state awarded grants to all 544 agencies that applied. Westwood Police Chief Frank Regino explained that the vests are …
Thursday, November 3, 2011
In honor of Veterans Day, residents' service is acknowledged while the police department welcomes a new addition
Westwood officials honored nine Vietnam War veterans during the council meeting Tuesday as part of a salute to Veterans Day. Mayor John Birkner Jr. recognized Alan Bonkowski, Fred Cooper, James Gines, Skip Kelley, William King, Harry Randall Jr., Nicholas Varastro and Paul Wahnowsky for their service. Three veterans were in attendance to accept their certificates of recognition at the meeting. "This year it's our honor to recognize the service of residents who were in the armed forces during the Vietnam era and to show our appreciation as we begin to celebrate Veterans Day," Birkner said. Resident Michael Fortunate was also sworn in as a patrol officer for the police department at the meeting. He had previously worked as a full-time …
Friday, October 28, 2011
Westwood and Washington Township are participating in the third annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
If you've been looking to get rid of expired or unused prescription medications that have been accumulating in your medicine cabinet, you can do so safely on Saturday. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, outdated prescription medications are being collected by both Westwood and Washington Township police as part of the third Annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Westwood police headquarters is located at 101 Washington Ave. and township police headquarters is at 350 Hudson Ave. The program, which takes place every six months, is coordinated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Office of Diversion Control, and ultimately hopes to provide a year-round system and outreach program for removing idle prescriptions from homes. For …
Friday, October 21, 2011
An officer on patrol spotted the pair along Clinton Avenue early Friday morning
Two men were arrested early Friday morning and charged with burglarizing a vehicle on Clinton Avenue in Westwood, police said. An officer on patrol around 3 a.m. noticed the pair walking down the middle of Clinton Avenue with the hoods of their sweatshirts raised, according to Westwood Police Chief Frank Regino. When the officer started to approach them, the two men started walking faster and then ran, Regino said, and the officer was unable to locate them immediately. Additional officers arrived at the scene and after a search of the area, found that a vehicle parked on Clinton Avenue had its interior light on, Regino said. Officers reported that the interior of the car had been ransacked and it appeared that items had been taken. Police …
40.99271
-74.04507
Lafayette Ave & Clinton Ave, Westwood, NJ
/articles/two-charged-with-burglarizing-a-vehicle-in-westwood
/locations/5644658
Chris Cortazzo
11:23 am on Thursday, July 26, 2012
This will not impact emergency response performance. It is cheaper than the county option, but with the knowledge of the local area that the county option was lacking. This is a win-win. more ›