file photo by Boyd Loving
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
With many police departments hit hard by coronavirus and police shootings remaining a high-profile issue in the U.S., the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2020’s Best & Worst States to Be a Police Officer.
In order to determine the best states to pursue a career in law enforcement, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 28 key indicators of police-friendliness. The data set ranges from the median income for law-enforcement officers to police deaths per 1,000 officers to state and local police-protection expenses per capita.
Life & Work for Cops in New Jersey (1=Best; 25=Avg.)
- 6th – Law-Enforcement Officers per Capita
- 2nd – Median Income for Law-Enforcement Officers (Adjusted for Cost of Living)
- 29th – Median Income Growth for Law-Enforcement Officers
- 6th – Violent-Crime Rate
- 10th – State & Local Police-Protection Expenses per Capita
- 12th – Police Deaths per 1,000 Officers
Note: “Law-enforcement officers” includes police and sheriff’s patrol officers, detectives and criminal investigators.
For the full report, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-to-be-a-cop/34669/
Let it begin.
No kidding it’s the pay.
I’d rather be a cop on the Miami strip. Do you know what I’m talking about.
Mr. Slime will be here crying and complaining about pay and benefits soon. He use to live here Remember he doesn’t even live in New Jersey. He lives in the United Arab Emirates cause he couldn’t find any employer to hire him in the United States.
Huh , who’s that
He was one of X Mayors Aronshon’s asshole buddies on the Financial Advisory Committee who hates Police and Firefighters.
and promoted high density housing yet wants to get rid of the Fire Department WTF ?
Exactly James!
You seem to be missing the point. Former Village Manager Ken Gabbert wanted Engine 31 at 311 West Glen to be all volunteer instead of being staffed 24/7 with paid professional firefighters.
It’s less than a mile from the Ridgewood Firehouse on East Glen and is an anachronism from when horses couldn’t get up the hill to Willard fast enough in the 1940s. It’s very expensive for Village taxpayers to have that staffed 24/7, and Gabbert recommended all volunteer fur Engine 31. Of course Jimmy Bombast is your bestie now, and he has a different take after resigning under Gabbert shortly after the Village lost a whistleblower lawsuit under his watch.
the problem is now because of Aronsohns high density housing Ridgewood will need more professional fire fighters not less
Engine 31 at 311 West Glen won’t help with high density in the CBD. It should be all volunteer with the professional FFs stationed there 24/7 relocating to the East Glen firehouse which does service the CBD. Look at a map.
Would have also thought Valley moving their emergency operations to their new facilities in Paramus would mean less need for police & professional firefighters to reset fire alarms at the hospital.
The garage – which I’ve never agreed with – could have been stopped by the current Council majority, as could have the high density buildings. But they never stopped it.
Other surrounding municipalities with much higher densities get by with volunteer fire and less police officers.
The person who said this has no idea what he is talking about.
“It’s less than a mile from the Ridgewood Firehouse on East Glen and is an anachronism from when horses couldn’t get up the hill to Willard fast enough in the 1940s.”
Engine 31 is needed because the Main Firehouse was built in a flood zone next to the Ho-Ho-Kus river. When the Main Firehouse has to be evacuated due to a flood, such as Tropical Storm Floyd, the Fire Department uses Engine company 31, which is NOT in a flood zone as its base of operations.
You should really check your facts before you make uneducated and dumb statements
Yup, Charlie Slime, Other surrounding municipalities with much higher densities get by with volunteer fire and less police officers. I would suggest that you move to one of those municipalities but since you live in the United Arab Emirates and not in New Jersey it’s a mute point and you shouldn’t be commenting on anything about Ridgewood since you don’t live here.
Of course Jimmy Bombast is your bestie now, and he has a different take after resigning under Gabbert shortly after the Village lost a whistleblower lawsuit under his watch.
Anonymous , there you go again making false statements and posting lies.
#1. Chief Bombace did not resign, he retired, BIG Difference.
#2. The lawsuit and court case took place well after Chief Bombace retired.
#2. The lawsuit was against the Village and Village Manager Gabbert, the appointing authority who makes promotions, not Chief Bombace. Gabbert refused to promote the Firefighter not Chief Bombace.
I hope Chief Bombace sues you for libel.
Engine 31 at 311 West Glen can still be all volunteer and meet your requirements as a base of operations there in the case of flooding above Slim Jim. Don’t need full time professional firefighters there 24/7. But you continue to just make things up to defend your union’s defrauding of Village taxpayers. Says VOLUMES!
Wasn’t Bombace just a captain? Dr. Gabbert would love to tell the story, I’m sure!
I can’t wait for you to return to the United States, my Attorney believes we have a reasonable basis for a lawsuit as someone suggested.
Tell us Charlie Kime, what qualifications do you have that make you an expert on fire department manning , staffing and response times? What education do you have regarding even just basic firefighting?
I bet one months pension check the answer to that is you have no qualifications at all to be making recommendations about fire departments at all period!
https://theridgewoodblog.net/ex-chief-bombace-looks-to-resuscitate-image-after-behavior-was-blasted-by-judge-in-reilly-verdict/
In case you missed it, here’s what happened under the leadership, or lack thereof, of the former fire chief. These are the key claims of Plaintiff Kevin Reilly taken verbatim from Superior Court’s Opinion document.
Plaintiff was denied promotion to Lieutenant. Only after he made several inquiries to the Village Manager was he scheduled for an interview. This was long after other candidates were already scheduled for the final psychiatric exam.
Derogatory and unsigned evaluations were placed in Plaintiff’s personnel file.
A rat key chain was put in Plaintiff’s mailbox after he filed a civil suit.
Plaintiff received a disturbing anonymous mailing at his home which was later found to have been sent by former Chief Bombace.
Plaintiff was transferred to a post where he would be denied the opportunity to hold an acting Lieutenant position.
Plaintiff and those firefighters friendly to Plaintiff were verbally threatened by firefighters who were never disciplined for their actions.
Firefighters with less experience were promoted instead of Plaintiff.
Plaintiff testified that he was the only firefighter who was required during sick leave to call into House Watch (a total of 120 times) whenever he left or returned home.
Plaintiff was subjected to an internal investigation about an off duty argument he had with another firefighter. However the other firefighter involved testified that the incident was not used against him for his promotion.
https://theridgewoodblog.net/mr-bombace-has-been-working-directly-with-paul-arohnson-for-the-past-3-years-to-get-a-super-majority-of-like-minded-council-persons/
https://theridgewoodblog.net/andrew-susan-exposed-admit-they-are-james-bombace-and-support-paul-aronsohn/
Isn’t Bombace the person who has cost the village a lot of money in a lawsuit due to his sending an anonymous letter and a fake rat to a fireman under his supervision? Why would we want to listen to him or anyone that is associated with him?
https://theridgewoodblog.net/ridgewood-firefighter-whistle-blower-kevin-reilly-awarded-3-5-million/
FF Kevin Reilly, who had been on the force since 1997, filed a lawsuit in 2011 claiming the former fire chief, Jim Bombace, and others had retaliated against him for reporting two safety violations.
A Bergen County jury in Feb. 2012 found the village had violated the Conscientious Employee Act in denying him promotions. The jury dismissed punitive damage claims but still awarded an overall judgment of $3.5 million for emotional distress. Bombace denies firefighters were ever in danger (but the Village lost.)
Judge Melanos W. Toskos wrote another comprehensive and thoughtful opinion about this May 2, 2012 after the Bergen County jury award.
Anonymous, you have actually proven that it was Village Manager Ken Gabbert who refused to promote the Firefighter not Chief Bombace.
“Plaintiff was denied promotion to Lieutenant. Only after he made several inquiries to the Village Manager was he scheduled for an interview. This was long after other candidates were already scheduled for the final psychiatric exam.”
Firefighters with less experience were promoted instead of Plaintiff.
And FYI Chief Bombace retired in May 2010, you stated
“FF Kevin Reilly, who had been on the force since 1997, filed a lawsuit in 2011…..”
So it appears that you willfully lied, further evidence for Chief Bombaces lawsuit.
The cops and firefighters aren’t heroes in this pandemic. Why are they paid more than frontline nurses and sanitation workers?