AG Releases 2024 Major Discipline Report for Law Enforcement: Bergen County Incidents Highlighted Include Ridgewood, Ho-Ho-Kus, Paramus and Ramsey

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

TRENTON, NJ — On July 7, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General published its annual major discipline report, offering a detailed overview of disciplinary actions taken against law enforcement officers across the state in 2024. The report revealed 644 incidents involving 543 officers from 172 agencies, marking a 19.7% increase from 2023.

📈 Key Takeaways:

• Statewide incidents rose from 538 in 2023 to 644 in 2024.

• Bergen County accounted for 30 discipline cases, up from 19 in the previous year.

• Most common offense: Attendance-related violations like lateness and improper call-outs.

🔍 What Qualifies as “Major Discipline”?

The Attorney General defines “major discipline” as:

• Terminations

• Rank reductions

• Suspensions exceeding five days

A 2022 directive broadened this definition to include serious infractions like:

• Discriminatory conduct

• False reporting

• Excessive force

• Untruthfulness

• Domestic violence

• Mishandling evidence

📍 Bergen County 2024 Discipline Highlights:

Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office

• Chief Jason Love: Suspended 17 days for consuming alcohol on duty and permitting subordinates to do the same.

Bergen County Sheriff’s Office

• CPO John Ahumada: 90-day suspension for off-duty DUI.

• CPO Everett Bell: 90-day suspension for false documentation and uniform violations.

• CPO Joseph Frino: Terminated for off-duty theft.

• CPO Matthew Widovic: 124-day suspension for fraternizing with inmates, logbook violations, and unauthorized tech use.

Additional suspensions for policy violations and AWOL status were issued to CPOs Edward Bajzath, Michael Della Pesca, Duane Evans, Anthony Rock, Daniel Smith, Michael Tsiolas, Fred Rivera, and Jorge Vargas.

Other Bergen County Departments:

Bergenfield PD

• Officer Hilda Colon: 13-day suspension for sick leave abuse and insubordination.

Elmwood Park PD

• Officer Kenneth McKinney: Resigned amid sustained charges of false reports and sick policy violations.

Garfield PD

• Officer Jonathan Librizzi: 8-day suspension and fine after off-duty criminal mischief charge.

Harrington Park PD

• Sgt. Antimo Costagliola: 6-day suspension for harassment and misconduct.

Hillsdale PD

• Sgt. Alex Kaplan: 4-day suspension and fine for improperly sharing confidential data via personal phone.

Ho-Ho-Kus PD

• Officer Kevin Rodrigo: 45-day suspension for falsifying duty reports and misleading internal staff.

Lodi PD

• Recruit Ankaury Camilo: Terminated after arrest for domestic violence while in police academy.

Palisades Park PD

• Officer David Chun: Multiple suspensions and fines for domestic violence offenses.

Paramus PD

• Sgt. Steve Nepola: Resigned during IA investigation over unapproved comp time use.

Ramsey PD

• Officer Diane Warnet: 20-day suspension for spreading false sexual rumors about fellow officers.

Ridgefield Park PD

• Sgt. Dale Madan: 8-day suspension for excessive force during subject search.

Ridgewood PD

• Sgt. Michael Lembo: 7-day suspension for inadequate supervision during a missing person investigation.

Rutherford PD

• Officer Michael Foley: Three minor suspensions in one year led to major discipline status.

Tenafly PD

• Officer Kaitlyn Hermansen: Resigned after lying about a vehicle crash.

• Officer Sean McNamara: Terminated for dishonesty during internal affairs investigation.

🧭 Access the Full Report

To dive deeper into the statewide database of major discipline, visit the interactive dashboard here:
👉 njoag.gov/majordiscipline

For the full PDF report, including discipline records by department:
📄 View Full 2024 Report

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