The number of crimes in North Bergen was up 0.7 percent in 2014 over the previous year, reported Chief Robert Dowd at the North Bergen Commissioners Meeting on March 25. According to a detailed report posted on the police website (northbergenpolice.com), there were 2,614 total crimes logged in the township in 2014, as opposed to 2,596 the previous year.
The number of Part 1 crimes, representing eight major reportable offenses, increased from 742 to 798 over the same time period.
“We’re responding to more calls but we’re seeing a little bit less crime in certain areas and a little bit of an uptick in other areas,” Dowd told the North Bergen Reporter last week. “In my professional opinion it’s a very stable number. We were bound to see a little course correction. We were at our lowest numbers in 40 years [in 2013]. We saw a slight increase this year. However, on a five-year comparison we’re still down 19 percent.”
Crime has decline steeply since 1985, when there were over 3,000 reported Part 1 crimes in North Bergen.
Among the crimes that increased in number in 2014 were aggravated assaults, up from 51 to 62; larceny, from 428 to 479; auto theft, from 78 to 90, arson, from 2 to 3; and rape, from 6 to 9.
Crimes that decreased in number included robbery, down from 43 to 42; and burglary, from 136 to 116. There were no reported murders in North Bergen for either year.
“If you look at us versus the state and us versus the county, we’re still well below,” said Dowd, referring to comparative crime statistics. “So while we’re seeing a small increase, so is everyone else. It’s a trend.”
North Bergen Police received more than 103,000 calls for service in 2014.
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“The reason is we’re actively participating in diversionary programs, Station House Adjustment being the biggest program,” said Dowd. “Station House Adjustment is an initiative set forth by the attorney general’s office where first time, low-level juvenile offenders are diverted out of the criminal justice system, out of the juvenile justice system.”
Instead, offenders are brought to the station house, similar to an arrest, and after signing a promise not to offend again they are given community service befitting the crime. For example, an offender who damaged public property may be assigned to clean up the parks.
“We try to model community service in a way where they’re actually making amends. There’s a restorative justice component. The idea is making whole the situation,” said Dowd. “The theory is if you just arrest them and put them into the juvenile system, they’re going to just learn from other delinquents.”
The township has a dedicated School Resource Officer (SRO) Unit consisting of a sergeant and three officers who deal with issues in the schools and also oversee the Station House Adjustment program.
Young, diverse department
North Bergen Police received more than 103,000 calls for service in 2014.
The department consists of approximately 120 officers. While other departments around the county have shrunk due to attrition and budget issues, North Bergen has remained stable in recent years.
“We saw a mass exodus of about 35 senior officers here over the last three years,” said Dowd, referring to the results of statewide pension reform under Gov. Chris Christie. “And the township responded by hiring back 35 officers over three years.”
The force is comparatively young as a result, so the department is actively engaged in providing experience to the officers. “We’ve invested more money in training in the last three years than we have in the last 20 years in the Police Department,” said Dowd. “Our officers are engaged in high-stress, realistic training, force-on-force training where they’ll simulate real situations.”
The township’s hiring policy requires that only residents of North Bergen can be hired as police officers. That has two benefits, according to Dowd. “The first is you have people who live here, who know the community. People know them. They trust them. They already have relationships. The second is the demographic makeup of the department is reflective of the demographic makeup of the community.”
“When I first came on, three guys spoke Spanish. And one of them was Italian,” he recalled. That was 22 years ago. “Is that insane? This is how the department’s grown.”
The North Bergen Police Department is currently more than 50 percent Latino, with more Latino officers being hired shortly. The township itself is about 60 percent Latino.
There are 12 female police officers.
Upgrading technology to combat crime
“We host a monthly detectives meeting here once a month,” said Dowd. The meetings are opportunities to discuss open cases and seek solutions. Law enforcement officials from neighboring towns and other agencies are invited to attend. At the most recent meeting, more than 35 towns participated. “NYPD robbery task force came over and gave a great presentation. US Customs was there and they gave a great presentation. And then they just networked and talked and exchanged police information and wanted posters. It was a great meeting.”
Among the major initiatives upcoming for the department is a major overhaul of the police station. In 2009 the detective bureau seized about $700,000 from a suspected drug dealer. Through asset forfeiture proceedings in cooperation with the DEA, the town realized about $450,000 from that case.
That money will be used to refurbish the turn-of-the-century building. The former municipal court room will become a high tech crime prevention intelligence center.
“We’re going to use GIS mapping, geographic information systems,” said Dowd. “As an officer authors a report it’ll automatically promulgate onto a map, a pin map. We’ll start seeing clusters and areas where things happen. We’ll know where to dedicate our resources.”
The facility will also have the ability for real-time social media monitoring of public accounts so officers can track any threats or issues regarding public events like Winterfest or big sports games.
The CCTV and 911 operations will be moved from the current location on Tonnelle Avenue into the police station. The construction job will be going out to bid shortly, with the goal of beginning work later this year.
“I try to stay progressive,” said Dowd, “like with this intelligence-led policing component that we’re starting to see here. I don’t ever want to get away from the grass-roots community policing stuff because you’ll never get better information and cooperation than you’ll get from neighbors. But I’m also seeking as much technology as I can get my hands on.”
Art Schwartz may be reached at arts@hudsonreporter.com.