Ridgewood Police Issue Public Safety Responses During the COVID-19 outbreak

file photo by Boyd Loving

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ. Notice to the Public Concerning Public Safety Responses During the COVID-19 outbreak:

Members of the Ridgewood Police Department, as well as our paid and volunteer emergency services (Fire, EMS and OEM), continue to be here for the community 24/7 in responding to public safety emergencies and criminal acts in progress. However, due to the national, state and county declarations of a state of emergency certain secondary, non-emergent operations will be suspended until further notice.
If you are quarantined (mandatory or self-imposed) in your home due to possible or confirmed COVID-19 exposure, PLEASE notify 911 when you call and advise the dispatcher. We also ask that you place a sign/note on your front door to alert our personnel to take infection-prevention precautions before entering your home or business. Officers will be asking questions before they enter your home. Please respect this procedure and recognize that it also protects you and your family. Please keep Social Distance (six (6) feet) from our Officers when you interact with them.

We need to protect our personnel so that they will be able to continue to meet the emergency needs of the community.

Elsewhere, there have been police officers and/or fire and EMS personnel quarantined after they have responded to quarantined homes and were not alerted before entering. Those first responders are now unavailable to help anyone for at least 14 days. In our department, we cannot afford to have this happen.

Effective Immediately, avoid coming to Police Headquarters unless you absolutely have to. If you are reporting a criminal act, seeking a domestic violence restraining order or are the victim of a serious crime we are here for you at any time at the Police Desk on the 2nd floor of Village Hall. In addition, we can always respond to your location, but may request to meet with you outside. Situations where citizens appear to be in distress will also result in an immediate police response. However, the following services are hereby suspended:

In person applications for meter, dumpster, firearm or solicitor permits, non-criminal fingerprinting or requests for copies of police reports.
Applications for firearms permits may be submitted online: https://njportal.com/NJSP/FARS
Copies of Police Reports may be requested by email: RPDRecords@RidgewoodNJ.net

Citizens wishing to file police reports concerning non-criminal matters should contact the Ridgewood Police Department by phone at (201) 652-3900. Please include your complete contact information and a brief description of the issue. These matters will be reviewed as staffing and service requirements permit. If a follow-up by a police officer is necessary, an officer will contact you by phone or email.

Officers will not be responding in person with regard to:

Village Ordinance Violations in the past;
Minor Property Damage in the past;
Parking Complaints – except for blocked traffic or driveways;
All overnight parking restrictions in residential areas and time-limited residential parking, are suspended during this state of emergency. However, all vehicles must otherwise be legally parked
Any other matter which is not criminal in nature or a threat to public safety.

We are committed to providing the highest level of service to our residents as we have always done through emergencies over the years.
Stay safe, stay healthy and help each other. Together we will get through this.
Thank you for your cooperation, understanding, and support.