Members of the North Bergen Police Department were honored on Thursday, Jan. 9 for the services they provide to the community every day of the year. Officers were cited for their hard work and quick actions in not only solving crimes and bringing criminals to justice, but literally saving lives.
“There were certain things we wanted to bring out that really went above and beyond,” said Mayor Nicholas Sacco. “We had these very important events where a young child was saved, and good police work tracked down the hit-and-run driver.”
The first award was presented to Police Officers Santos Benitez, Hector Rosa, and Brian Himsel for their part in providing life-giving assistance to a two-year-old child. Responding to a 911 call on Sept. 10, 2014, the officers found the child had been pulled from a pool in a lifeless state.
“This kid was blue, he was in cardiac and respiratory arrest,” said Police Chief Robert Dowd.
Benitez, one of the responding officers, happened to be the CPR instructor for the department. “He really took control,” said Dowd.
“They began to work on the child with CPR as they rushed to the hospital,” continued Sacco. “The officers really worked hard, mouth to mouth. The child came back and started to breathe on his own. In the hospital they were able to work on him thoroughly and he made a full recovery. He wasn’t brain damaged, which was the fear. It was miraculous.”
The child and his mother were both present for the ceremony.
Cutting down on crime
The North Bergen Police Department’s Narcotics Unit was presented with a unit award at the event. The unit has seized over a million dollars’ worth of illegal narcotics and thousands of dollars in cash from drug dealers since its inception in 2012.
“The mayor is cognizant of these events,” said Dowd. “He is so proud of this department and he wanted to honor our department for National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day.”
National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day is held across the country on Jan. 10, but the ceremony was held one day early in North Bergen due to scheduling conflicts.
“He’s happiest when he’s out patrolling, looking for bad guys.” – Police Chief Robert Dowd
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“One of the things that makes a police department work well is it has to be ‘of the people,’” said Sacco. “Everyone hired here is a resident of the town. It’s ethnically balanced with the town, about 60 percent Latino. We have about 12 percent women.
It’s really a very effective department.”
North Bergen Police Officers responded to over 100,000 calls for police service in 2014, according to Dowd.
“This year we had the lowest number of home burglaries ever that we know of,” he said. “There are 20,000 homes in town and it’s down to barely over 100 break-ins. Statistically it’s very small amount, especially in light of past crime statistics. People are safer in their homes as of last year than they ever have been before. These guys work so hard.”
One of the officers directly responsible for the reduced crime rate is Det. Roberto Maldonado, a 19-year veteran of the NBPD who was unanimously chosen by the command staff as the 2014 Officer of the Year and presented with the award at the ceremony.
“He’s the senior detective in the Major Case Unit,” said Dowd. “They have this enormous responsibility: crimes of robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, arson, motor vehicle theft – all the big crimes. He was personally responsible for some very high profile arrests this year.”
Maldonado worked for over 10 years as a patrolman, walking the streets from 8 p.m. till 4 a.m. He became a detective in 2006.
“He’s a great example for the younger officers,” said Dowd. “I don’t think he’s ever taken a lunch break. He’s happiest when he’s out patrolling, looking for bad guys.”
“It’s good to be recognized,” said Maldonado. “Good for morale. I’m 53 years young. It lets the younger guys know the old man can do it; that means they can do it.”
A longtime resident of the township, he explained his devotion to his job and the community very simply. “We’re from North Bergen and we work here and live here. I have a daughter born and raised here, grandkids here. We work it, we live it. We are the community.”
Major Case Unit recognized
Also among those receiving proclamations for their stellar police work were the members of the Major Case Unit that helped track down the hit-and-run driver who slammed into brothers Michael (20) and Adrian (11) Viruet on Nov. 14. (See the article in last week’s North Bergen Reporter for full details of the manhunt that resulted in the arrest of alleged driver Rogelio Chavix-Tacen.)
Honored for their part in the investigation were Sgt. David Dowd, Det. Maldonado, Det. Victor Queiro, Inv. Hector Botello and Inv. Carmen Recinos, along with members of various federal agencies that collaborated on the case.
Art Schwartz may be reached at arts@hudsonreporter.com.