The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
photos courtesy of the Ho-Ho-Kus Police Departrment
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ho-Ho-Kus NJ, today was anything but ordinary for the kindergarteners at Ho-Ho-Kus School—it was paws-itively amazing!
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Edgewater NJ, four individuals have been charged with operating a series of illicit massage parlors in New Jersey and New York, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Continue reading No Happy Ending : Four Charged with Operating Illicit Massage Parlors
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Saddle Brook NJ, A state judge has dismissed the corruption charges against suspended Saddle Brook Police Chief Robert Kugler, a former GOP candidate for Bergen County sheriff whose campaign was derailed by allegations that he illegally ordered his officers to escort processions leaving his privately owned funeral home.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hackensack NJ, Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office announce the BCSO Youth Writing Contest Award Ceremony. The event will award five (5) – Fifth Grade students (Bergen County residents only) with an ANDROID CHROMEBOOK (Google Classroom Ready).
Continue reading Bergen County Sheriff Hosts Youth Writing Contest Award Ceremony
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Englewood NJ,Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the ongoing investigation of a homicide and an attempted murder that occurred at approximately 1:11 a.m. on Saturday, June 20, 2020 in Englewood, NJ. The Englewood Police Department received multiple 911 calls reporting shots fired in the vicinity of the intersection of 2nd Street and 4th Street. Responding officers found multiple individuals in the roadway who had attended a gathering at a residence on 2nd Street.
Continue reading Bergen County Prosecutor Investigating Englewood Homicide
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Hackensack NJ, Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco on Friday issued Executive Order 2020-01E to close County parks to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. The County enacted these measures in a further effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Executive Order, which is attached to this email, takes effect tomorrow, Saturday, March 28, 2020, at 8 a.m.
Continue reading Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco Closes County Parks
photo courtesy Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office
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Paramus NJ, the Bergen County Rapid Deployment Team is assisting with security during this week’s 2018 FedEx Cup Playoff: The Northern Trust at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus. Security collaboration is crucial for events like this, and we are partnered with the Paramus Police and the Bergen County Sheriff.
Ridgewood NJ, Bergen County Sheriff Mike Saudino rakes in more than any other double-dipping sheriff – $138,000 in salary plus $130,000 from pension. Manny Alfonso is eligible for an $80,000 a year pension, but has promised not to collect retirement pay while he serves as sheriff.
Mike Saudino has raked in more than $1.8 million as sheriff – and he still wants more!
Bergen County Sheriff Mike Saudino aka the “double dipper in chief” is about to change his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat. This puts Saudino Bergen County’s top double dipper, $267,987 – $138,000 salary + $129,987 pension as an Emerson Borough police retiree in Democrat hands .
The anticipated party switch came as no surprise, given recent history. In 2014, Saudino back stabbed incumbent Republican County Executive Kathe Donovan and made known his preference for the Democratic candidacy of challenger James Tedesco.
Tedesco ultimately won the County Executive office and Democrats in Bergen armed with Union money have bucked national trends further consolidated power in Bergen under the leadership of Bergen County Democratic Committee Chairman Lou Stellato.
It’s time to elect a new sheriff in town Manny Alfonso.
I was born in Cuba under the repressive regime of Fidel Castro and the Communist Party. My father Manuel had the courage to speak out against Cuba’s abusive government and he was imprisoned for speaking the truth.
In 1970 my mother Amnery, my sister Elizabeth and I fled to the United States. We eventually settled in Union City, NJ where I attended high school while also working as an EMT. About a year after graduating high school I began my law enforcement career, and shortly thereafter I attended college. After a lot of hard work, I graduated from Montclair State University (magma cum laude) and undertook graduate studies at Columbia University. Today I am a high ranking executive for a large law enforcement agency.
I know the reality of government oppression and the value of personal freedom and political liberty. I came to the United States as a poor immigrant yet I was able to achieve success and take advantage of the opportunities this country offers. America gave my family and me one of the most precious gifts in the world – freedom. And because of that freedom I was able to choose a career, raise a family and enjoy the fruits of my hard labor.
How can I ever pay back what America gave me? By putting myself in a position where I can protect my fellow Americans and let them keep more of their hard-earned money. That position is Bergen County Sheriff.-Manny Alfonso
Why he is running for Bergen County Sheriff :
I have spent my entire adult life in law enforcement and I have worked hard to live up to the integrity and honesty that the career demands. I decided to run for office because I have grown disgusted with the waste and mismanagement I have witnessed in government over my career. I have come to recognize that far too often the people we elect to serve us are serving themselves.
There are too many people in government who succumb to the power and riches of politics. They are more interested in protecting their personal interest than in protecting the interest of the hardworking taxpayers, who are burdened by the high cost of government services. I believe wholeheartedly that I can run the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department more efficiently and more effectively than it is being run now. I will take politics out of the department and do what is in the best interest of protecting the community. -Manny Alfonso
By Alyana Alfaro • 10/12/16 4:50pm
Manuel Alfonso is running for sheriff in Bergen County. (Photo: Manuel Alfonso)
Manny Alfonso, the Republican challenger in the Bergen County sheriff race, on Wednesday accused incumbent Mike Saudino of what he termed “grant deception.” According to Alfonso, Saudino “will never make good on his promise to reduce department spending by $200 million.”
In his statement, Alfonso went on to say that Democrats’ claims that they can save “up to $200 million in Bergen County by disbanding the county police force” are false. Alfonso also said that “the sheriff has increased spending year after year.”
Saudino’s campaign spokesperson Matt Bonasia issued the following response to Alfonso’s claims: “Manny Alfonso is entitled to have his own opinions but he is not entitled to create his own facts. These claims are outright fabrications from a desperate candidate who knows he is going to lose in November. If Manny Alfonso stuck with the facts he would be forced to admit that Sheriff Saudino has saved the taxpayers of Bergen County over $4 million through the realignment while improving public safety and that he has reduced overtime by 40% and saved $5 million since 2011 by cutting unnecessary spending.”
https://observer.com/2016/10/bergen-sheriff-challenger-claims-incumbent-deceived-taxpayers/
By Alyana Alfaro • 08/31/16 11:49am
Manuel Alfonso, 47, is the first Latino to pursue the position of Bergen County Sheriff and score a major party endorsement. The Cuban American Republican entered the race earlier this year after a January party switch by incumbent Sheriff Michael Saudino from Republican to Democrat left the GOP scrambling for a candidate.
While Alfonso has never run for office before, the candidate is a 26-year veteran in law enforcement. Currently he works as a high-ranking official in a government agency but says that he cannot disclose information about his department or position for campaign purposes due to ethics violations. In the past, Alfonso worked with the FBI joint terrorism task force for five years and with the U.S. Marshals Service.
MAY 20, 2015, 4:56 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2015, 12:36 AM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
The Bergen County Sheriff’s Office will join a growing number of police agencies around the country whose officers wear body cameras to record their interactions with the public, officials announced Wednesday.
Forty-seven of the county’s approximately 500 officers will use the cameras as part of a $70,000 pilot project to be financed with forfeiture funds, Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino said at a news conference. No date has been set to begin using the cameras, he said.
Saudino said he will first ask for guidance from a panel of law enforcement officials and community leaders selected by the Bergen County freeholders. The panel will address civil liberties and privacy concerns raised by the relatively new technology.
Saudino, who was accompanied at the news conference by County Executive James Tedesco, said they decided to start as a pilot program “because there are many valid issues raised regarding the proper operation of these devices.”
“My objective is to strike the right balance to implement this program on a permanent basis,” Saudino said. |“It’ll take as long as it takes to do |it the right way. We’re not in a rush.”
Bergen County freeholders introduce measures needed to meld County Police into sheriff’s force
FEBRUARY 4, 2015, 8:03 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015, 8:03 PM
BY JEAN RIMBACH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
A plan to consolidate police services provided by Bergen County moved another step closer to fruition Wednesday with the county freeholders giving their initial approval to measures that rename the nearly 100-year-old County Police and put strict limits on the number of patrol officers and higher-ups it can have going forward.
The swift action shows that combining the county police with the county Sheriff’s Office remains on the fast track for the Freeholder Board and the administration of County Executive James Tedesco.
“It’s a good day for Bergen County, for the taxpayers of Bergen County and for law enforcement,” said Tedesco, who attended the meeting.
The two ordinances introduced Wednesday say the county force, when absorbed by the Sheriff’s Office, will be known as the Bureau of Police Services, take away the position of chief of police and slice its overall numbers by roughly half, to 49 officers.
Bergen County sheriff puts use of armored military vehicles on hold
AUGUST 28, 2014, 12:26 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014, 12:29 PM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
The Bergen County sheriff said Thursday he will delay using armored military vehicles until state and federal officials complete their reviews of the program under which police departments across the country acquired the surplus equipment free.
But Sheriff Michael Saudino said he still plans to take possession of two mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, known as MRAPs, which he said have saved officers’ lives in other states.
The Bergen County Sheriff’s Department is in line for two surplus military vehicles similar to this one, originally designed as defense against roadside bombs in war zones.
County Executive Kathleen Donovan welcomed the delay but called on the county freeholders to rescind their vote from earlier this year authorizing the sheriff to obtain MRAPs from the U.S. Defense Department. Donovan said Thursday she wants a one-year moratorium on the acquisition of any military equipment to allow time for full and public debate.
“We don’t want to see them rumbling into neighborhoods inappropriately and scaring our citizens,” Donovan said.
Saudino and Donovan, both Republicans, have a history of feuding and not speaking to each other. In dueling news conferences on Thursday, each claimed the other is playing politics amid a national debate over the militarization of local police departments.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen-county-sheriff-to-delay-using-surplus-armored-military-vehicles-donovan-wants-one-year-moratorium-1.1077594#sthash.idJFk04t.dpuf
