(Nick Farfalla, 3 generations of PA cops)
Why does it seem that Ridgewood only hires friends and family? The same names always come up in the police, fire ,and BOE lists.
Why is it that you care If they are tested by the state and meet the other qualification of employment they should been give the same chance as anyone else.
First of all this is not true. They don’t ALWAYS hire family members. Second, it is a proud tradition that firefighters and police officers are often the sons and daughters of them. Just like doctors often have kids who go into medicine and people who own their own businesses often have their children join them. I was a teacher and my daughter is a teacher. She grew up observing my career and she aspired to do the same. There is nothing wrong with this and your comments are inflammatory.
There’s a disturbing trend developing in the police profession: Parents in law enforcement don’t want their children following in their footsteps.
A February 2015 survey by Calibre Press found that of nearly 3,500 officers surveyed, 81 percent of them would not encourage their children to seek a career in law enforcement.
The No. 1 reason? The lack of public respect for the profession of policing.
Eighty-six percent of those surveyed felt strongly enough about public perception that they would not want their children to follow in dad or mom’s footsteps.
The second biggest reason given was media and/or political cynicism. The constant bombardment of negative portrayals of police officers takes it toll.
I recently spoke with a friend who is a retired police officer and works as a therapist specializing in counseling police officers. He spoke candidly of the challenges of counseling officers who are dealing with stressful jobs. The stress they feel is being compounded by the constant bombardment of negative news stories regarding police officers.
His prescription for reducing stress? Stop watching the news and reading the newspaper — something even the best of us would have trouble doing in these days of instant news alerts and smartphones.
As for myself, I didn’t always want to be a cop. I was 12 when I saw my father put on a uniform for the first time. Prior to that, dad was driving a trash truck so it was a night-and-day difference. He spent 34 years as a police officer and finally retired when his health couldn’t handle the job anymore. Police work for him wasn’t a job. It was a calling.
Being around my dad and later his coworkers as a police explorer scout, I developed this great desire to put on a uniform and be a superhero with a badge. I started in law enforcement in my 20s and served for 30 years before retiring. Honestly, there is nothing else I think I would have rather done.
Dad was proud of the fact we decided to serve and spent no small effort trying to get the rest of my siblings to follow suit.
One of my younger brothers followed some years later and is still serving.
But I have to weigh that against the fact I haven’t been involved day to day in the profession for nearly five years now. I am not experiencing what police officers are going thorough in the field every day.
I haven’t endured profane abuse at the front line of protests, suffered verbal abuse while responding to mundane calls or been videotaped by half a dozen bystanders waiting to capture their moment of YouTube fame.
A patrol officer I spoke with recently conveyed how he’s had to become a police apologist. Seems every alleged act of police wrongdoing anywhere in the country somehow demands he be able to account for police officers’ actions.
This is not only occurring while he’s working but at the kids’ soccer games, church and any social gathering where he’s pointed out as a cop.
It’s not just officers in the field who feel this way but at every level in the chain of command.
During an executive course I facilitate for police command staff I have been conducting my own ad hoc polls. The results are very similar to what Calibre Press found. It seems even the guys and gals running departments aren’t keen on their kids becoming police officers.
My hope is this sense of malaise and frustration passes. But given the sustainability of modern media and the number of cheap seats in the stadium, I don’t think it’s going to be anytime soon.
There is something wrong in Ridgewood with this. Go check the test scores, phys profiles, and history of the mayors family who are currently candidates for police and fire department hiring
Then go review the current placement lists for theses roles. Seems that somehow the Knudsens will all soon be Ridgewood Police and Fireman. These are from people who could not get through the schools without intervention and prodding from the the well connected mayor.
Seems to to me we should be always looking for the best and brightest, not the best connected. Oh well lots of RW tax dollars going to that one family for generations to come. I guess that is a tradition too
Ridgewood is a civil service department like it or not you have to pass a test and a physical test and a psyche exam not matter who mommy or daddy is. If you look back 6 or7 years ago John Ward was the chief in Ridgewood and he couldn’t get his second son on the job. If the boss cant get his own son hired it doesn’t say much for nepotism. There is also the rule of 3 the hiring authority has to pick from the top 3 candidates if you aint there you have to wait.
The Nepotism Committee has no comment at this time.
If you are so concerned 1:14 why don’t you go check all of those thing ?
Thats because the Nepotism Committee has their collected thumbs up their asses .
The original story related to the Port Authority PD. Why take every opportunity to bash Ridgewood’s local PD? Someone is very cranky…
Thats what they do 6:24.
To 704 and 624, 114 probably voted for Hillary and lost, now they’re completely miserable and have no one left to pick on or bash.
Your right 8:48 or maybe Jill Stein