Walking into the West New York police director’s office is like entering an upscale lounge – hardwood flooring, track lighting, jazz infusions playing in the background while the stock market flashes across a TV mounted on the wall.
While it may not be the stuff cop movies are made of, the space is a way of dealing with realities of the job for Police Director Albert Bringa. Renovating the office (with his own money) was one of his first actions after he was sworn in as police director late last year.
“I wanted a warm office that I could feel comfortable in,” he said. “This is where I make decisions.”
The born and raised West New Yorker, a businessman at heart, has spent the past four months running the department like a business, he said, grappling with the budget and moving forward with technology.
“I had ambitions, a dream of one day putting what I feel for my community to work in a positive way.” – Albert Bringa
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Working like a CEO, he communicates his beliefs and philosophies to 160 officers, strives to boost positive morale, foster individual talent, and create a comfortable place to work with simple changes like bringing in new chairs and a TV for the break room.
And as he develops a walking unit this spring, he will be hitting the neighborhoods on foot himself to talk to residents and business owners about their needs.
Focusing on quality of life
Under his leadership, the Police Department has racked up a string of prostitution-related arrests (at least 30) and drug-related arrests since the beginning of the year. Bringa said he has paid special attention to those crimes because they contribute to quality of life issues, especially for the people who live in the communities where they occur.
“I’m dedicated to my department and community,” said Bringa. “I live here; I care about this place.”
And the community has been responding to him as well. It was the vigilance of residents which helped fuel the recent series of prostitution arrests, via the department’s hotline, (201) 295-5047.
Other calls on the line sometimes include complaints about garbage pickup, but the department fields and responds to them all – Bringa believes all those little things add up.
The director credits the officers in his department and support from the administration for the recent successes. “I have a lot of faith in them,” said Bringa. “Some say ‘That’s what they get paid for,’ but it’s more than that. You have to want to be a cop.”
Bringing up Bringa
Bringa grew up in West New York and went to trade school after graduating from St. Joseph’s High School. He wound up at the West New York Police Department by the time he was 20 years old.
“Since I was a boy, police work fascinated me,” he said. “The uniform, the pride, wanting to help people.”
As a detective in the Juvenile Bureau, Bringa spent a great deal of time working with the D.A.R.E. program, which teaches anti-drug and anti-gang education to kids. He helped bring the program to West New York in 1990.
He has also served as coordinator for the town’s Office of Emergency Management and coordinator for the town’s Emergency Medical Service.
But he had his sights set on a director position from the beginning. “I had ambitions,” said Bringa. “A dream of one day putting what I feel for my community to work in a positive way.”
As the assistant for two previous directors, he began his new position with a deep understanding of what it’s all about.
And 25 years after he joined the force, he says his motivation hasn’t changed.
“My purpose here is to get the job done,” said Bringa. “To serve the people of West New York.”
Department problems of the past
Bringa was an officer in the department at the time former Police Chief Alexander Oriente resigned amid a police scandal in 1995. Oriente spent three years in prison after pleading guilty to extorting money from gambling and prostitution operations in West New York in 1998. Ultimately, 11 West New York police officers pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering, bribery and extortion.
The department was restructured after that.
Bringa said it was a tough time for everyone, but declined to speak in detail about the old controversies. He said that he prefers to focus on the future.
Lana Rose Diaz can be reached at ldiaz@hudsonreporter.com.