Hoboken PD Enhances Park Patrols, Increases Night and Weekend Presence

The Hoboken Police Department has issued a nixle alert informing residents that they have enhanced park patrols, increased night and weekend presence and have expanded customer service hours.

According to the alert:

Since becoming Chief of Police on December 1, 2014, Chief Kenneth Ferrante has implemented a series of changes in the Hoboken Police Department to improve operations and service to the community. The changes include significantly increased police presence on nights and weekends, enhanced patrols of the waterfront and parks, tripling the size and expanding the enforcement hours of the Traffic Division, new Saturday hours for the Bureau of Identification, expanded hours for the Bureau of Investigation, and expanded officer training.

“In just a matter of weeks, Chief Ferrante has made tremendous improvements that residents are already noticing on the street,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. “I commend him and all of our Police Officers for the work they do every day to keep us safe.”

“In January, we had only four reported burglaries and four motor vehicle thefts,” said Police Chief Kenneth Ferrante. “I attribute these exceptionally low crime rates to our expanded night patrols and to the recent arrests of six package thieves which took six career criminals off our streets. Our detectives and officers working these important shifts deserve tremendous credit. It wasn’t long ago that Hoboken had over 700 car thefts per year, but we are continuing to reduce crime and make our community even safer than it already is.”

On January 1, 2015, Chief Ferrante established a Waterfront and Parks Unit to provide steady patrols on the waterfront and parks, focusing on various homelessness, juvenile, and quality of life concerns. Every officer assigned to the unit will be patrolling these areas on bike in the coming months. They will also perform community outreach with different types of crime prevention and community awareness techniques starting this spring. This will include educating adults and children on bicycle safety and laws, including reckless operation of bikes on sidewalks. Following a period of community education and warnings, officers will soon begin enforcement of bike regulations.

The hours of the Bureau of Identification have been expanded to better meet the needs of residents. The new hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Any individual needing to pick up motor vehicle accident reports, bar cards or bar card applications, firearms identification cards and pistol permit applications, letters of good conduct, or to be fingerprinted by the Police Department can do so during these extended hours.

The Department has also expanded the hours of the Investigation Bureau hours and is utilizing several new techniques and specializations to advance the ways that crimes are investigated. This includes the creation of a specialized identity theft investigator who is working with local, county, state and federal agencies to best assist victims of identity theft, which is the largest growing crime in the United States.

The Police Department is also expanding the training program for all officers by sending them to a variety of new classes. A team of officers from each shift will be educated in crisis intervention techniques for handling those cases of individuals who fall in between the need for correctional facilities and medical institutions. A team of commanders will participate in tabletop exercises to prepare for handling sudden emergencies and disasters. And active shooter training will be expanded to best prepare officers for the handling of any situation involving an armed suspect, whether in a school, hospital or place of worship, by performing practical exercises at some of these locations.

For full details, view this message on the web.