“I’ve done just about everything in the Police Department at some point in my career,” said Secaucus Police Chief Kevin Flaherty, a 26-year veteran of the force. “I think I’ve seen just about anything you can think of seeing, even in a small town like this.”
Flaherty was officially sworn in as chief of the Secaucus Police Department on Tuesday, April 28, after rising through the ranks. Coming up on his four-month anniversary in the role of chief, he spoke with the Secaucus Reporter about his career, the state of the department, and plans for the future.
Among the major initiatives currently underway is a lengthy and detailed accreditation process that the department has been undergoing for more than a year. Accreditation entails reviewing and revising all department procedures according to standards provided by the state attorney general.
“We’re finishing up the process,” said Flaherty. “We have the accreditors coming on Sunday, Sept. 13 for two days to assess. I fully expect we will be accredited a short time after. It’s a prestigious title and a difficult process. Less than 10 percent of the police departments in New Jersey are accredited.”
Accreditation is conferred by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police. “It means we conform to standards in New Jersey as well as rest of the country,” said Flaherty. “And there are definite financial incentives. Insurance companies give a break on your liability insurance.”
The department is also going through a process of modernization involving the radio and 911 systems. The police radio system is currently based on copper wire Verizon technology. A new system is being built and tested using satellite dishes.
The Secaucus PD is nearing the end of a years-long process of accreditation that will see them among less than 10 percent of police departments in the state to receive that distinction.
____________
The final cost for the new system is expected to be nearly $1 million.
Three companies are waiting to bid on the new 911 system, which will be made more modern and user-friendly. It will also be up to standards for the coming next-generation 911 service in New Jersey.
“There’s talk of using text message and other such stuff,” said Flaherty. “It’s still in the infancy stages. I believe only one town in the state is using it as a test. But we’ll be ready to go.”
Prostitution, guns, and drugs
Flaherty has doubled the staff in the traffic division with a lieutenant and a sergeant. They deal with everything from moving violations to parking to construction issues to bike lanes.
“We’ll be doing DWI enforcement as well, getting extra patrols out there,” he said, referring to the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, running through Labor Day weekend.
Another issue that continues to bedevil Secaucus is prostitution. “That is because of our location and the sheer amount of hotel rooms,” he said. “We have more hotels than most cities of our size and we are so close to New York City.”
As a result there have historically been incidents of prostitution and related crimes between visitors and tourists in the hotels. “We haven’t done an undercover sting or detail in awhile,” he noted. “We’re going to start that up again. We backed off for the summer while we were finishing up our accreditation issues.”
Among the more notable incidents since Flaherty took over as chief was an arrest last month. “We had an incident with a gun by Clarendon School,” said Flaherty. “It was an alarming incident. We were able to respond and quickly make arrests.”
The incident stemmed from a fight between two teenage girls. Police arrived on the scene and arrested two Secaucus males, ages 18 and 20, for drug and weapons charges. Both men allegedly had guns, while one allegedly had a folding knife and an expandable baton. The other man was charged with suspected possession of marijuana and ecstasy.
“In a small town, you hope that kind of activity wouldn’t occur, but it did and we were prepared,” said Flaherty, stressing that it was “out of the norm.”
The department has also had occasion to use Narcan to save two lives within the span of a month. Narcan, also known as Naloxone, is a medication used to reverse the effects of opioids, especially involving overdoses. It has traditionally been available in ambulances, but oftentimes police arrive on the scene before an ambulance, and response time is critical in an overdose situation. Consequently the Secaucus Police Department issued nasal Narcan to all patrol officers on July 17.
One day later, on July 18, officers were called to a rehab facility where it was necessary to administer Narcan to save the life of an individual. Since then, Secaucus police officers have used Narcan one other time to save the life of someone staying at one of the hotels in town.
“It’s very alarming to have even one incident,” said Flaherty about the spread of opioid and heroin abuse. “We are on the low side but it is a problem affecting the whole state. It’s making its way to the suburbs. Unfortunately it’s coming but at least we’re prepared for it.”
A career cop
Kevin Flaherty joined the Secaucus Police Department in January 1989. He was promoted to sergeant in January 1997 and to lieutenant in July 2008.
He has served as an accident reconstructionist for the department, working several fatalities and serious motor vehicle accidents. He was the department’s 911 instructor and a child safety seat installer. He worked two major NJ Transit train wrecks involving multiple injuries and fatalities.
In February 2014 he became a captain, then was named “officer in charge of the department” in December of that year, following the controversial resignation of former Deputy Chief John Cerny.
Cerny left his post abruptly, claiming he was “punished and denied the chief of police title” for political reasons.
Flaherty was sworn in as police chief on April 28, accompanied by his mother, Theresa; his wife, Carolyn; and his daughters Holly, 18, and Amber, 14. Four candidates were interviewed for the position, according to Councilman Gary Jeffas, with the council coming to a “unanimous consent” to offer the job to Flaherty.
Currently the Secaucus Police Department consists of 66 officers, three of them female. Among Flaherty’s goals is adjusting the demographic of the department.
“We want our department to mimic the community,” he said. “We have a large Indian population but no Indian officers. That’s the only demographic that’s missing. We’re going to reach out to that community” the next time the department is recruiting.
“It’s quite a team effort,” he said of the police department and his time as chief, calling his role a “learning experience.” “I have a great staff helping me. You always dream of becoming chief. There are certain things you want to accomplish. I believe I’m accomplishing them. I’m enjoying it very much.”
Art Schwartz may be reached at arts@hudsonreporter.com.