In March of 1997, the Community Policing Bureau began its successful "Citizen's Police Academy." The Academy is open to residents of Bergen County and takes place one night a week for ten weeks. Citizens learn about the history and functions of municipal police. Role playing, where citizens conduct motor vehicle stops and respond to domestic violence calls, give the students a chance to experience what a typical police officer deals with each day.
The Patrol Division is the backbone of the Police Department, and officers are on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to respond to calls from Township resident& The patrol officers drove 583,066 miles last year while providing preventive patrol, responding to calls for service, transporting prisoners, and conducting preliminary investigations. During 1997 a total of 5,402 summonses were issued for moving violations and 6,740 summonses were issued for parking violations. Officers made 65 arrests for driving while intoxicated, took 25 animal bite reports, made 116 arrests for other departments, responded to 102 fires, and 2,128 first aid calls, reported 161 traffic lights, and 69 street light malfunctions, and located 121 insecure premises. Members of the department made 1,401 adult arrests, 361 juvenile arrests and recovered $633,684 worth of stolen property.
The Service Bureau collected $6,365 for burglar alarm registration fees and $4,220 for false alarm fines. Members of the Service Division's ID Bureau respond to crime scenes to document and collect physical evidence.
One mission of the Detective Bureau is to conduct proactive and latent investigations to ferret out crime in furtherance of the Police Department's goal to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Teaneck. The Detective Bureau is made up of four squads-general investigations, narcotics, burglary, and crime prevention, In 1997 the Bureau conducted over 1,600 investigations. Missing persons, theft, burglary and narcotics distribution were among the many categories in which the bureau enjoyed a high level of success. The Bureau concentrates its efforts on local crime; however, they participate in joint investigations with local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
The Youth Bureau is responsible for investigations involving criminal activity and status offenses by people under the age of 18. Status offenses are activities that are illegal for children because of their age. Purchasing cigarettes, drinking alcohol and truancy are examples of status offenses. In 1997 the Youth Bureau conducted over 760 investigations and arrested over 350 youthful offenders. Numerous referrals are also made to social and counseling agencies like Crisis Intervention and the Division of Youth and Family Services. The D.A.R.E. program is operated from the Youth Bureau. The D.A.R.E. officer teaches in the middle school and lectures the children on the ills of alcohol and drugs. A full time uniformed police officer is assigned to the high school and oversees any criminal wrongdoing while providing a positive image and role model for the students. Other activities being conducted by the Youth Bureau are lectures on Conflict Resolution and participation in such programs as National Night Out, the Teaneck Municipal Affiance Against Substance Abuse, and the Teaneck High School Career Day.
The Traffic Bureau is responsible for a variety of traffic related functions including the school crossing guard program, traffic studies, and surveys. Other areas of focus for the Traffic Bureau include DWI roaming patrols and sobriety check points, inspection sticker road checks, and radar enforcement details. The Bureau also has an active school bus task force, which follows up on complaints of vehicles passing stopped school busses. In the summer the task force directs it's efforts to vehicles passing frozen dessert trucks. They also conduct school bus safety checks and insure frozen dessert trucks meet state requirements for equipment and vending regulations. The Bureau has recently purchased a radar trailer. This trailer is placed on roadways where residents have complained about speeding cars. An Officer has been assigned to patrol Cedar Lane and other business districts for enforcement of posted parking time limits.
Two new motorcycles were purchased in 1997 from grant funds. The motorcycle Division assists with traffic concerns in the business districts and assists in patrolling the interior of all Township parks.
Information about the Police Department
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