Fort Lee Native Matt Hintze Appointed Borough Police Chief

FORT LEE, NJ — One of the borough's own is now the top cop in town.

Capt. Matthew Hintze will be the borough's eleventh chief of police when he is sworn in on June 1, the day current Chief Keith Bendul will retire.

Mayor Mark Sokolich announced Hintze's appointment to the position Thursday night at a council meeting.

"Capt. Hintze was an excellent choice for chief as he has spent many years in management roles in the department and was already a well-known leader in the community," Sokolich said in a statement Friday. "The respect and support from our outgoing chief towards our incoming chief is key to making this a smooth transition for the police department and the Borough overall."

Hintze joined the 97-officer department in 2002. As a captain, he is the detective division commander, oversees general investigations, narcotics/anti-crime, juvenile, and the department's other bureaus.

As a lieutenant, Hintze commanded the Emergency Services Unit, supervised the Traffic Bureau, and was the patrol supervisor.

Hintze is a certified firearms, TASER, CPR, and active shooter response instructor.

Hintze was raised and attended public schools in the borough. He earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Pace University. He is pursuing a master's degree in administrative science at Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is also a member of the Fort Lee Fire Department and a life member of the Fort Lee Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

Bendul began his career with the police department in 1989. He was named chief in 2013. He launched the "Be Seen, Be Safe" pedestrian safety awareness program and instituted the TASER program.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com