Police Department
History
A need for police was apparent in Teaneck from its earliest days as a settlement. In 1675, a law was passed requiring all men from 16 to 20 to provide themselves with arms or be penalized, and specified sentences for crimes were published. A person might well be punished by death for multiple convictions for stealing.
In 1713, the British Government proscribed rules of conduct for slaves in the colonies. In 1735, the record shows that a slave had a dispute with his master and struck him, threatening to kill him and his family. the sheriff ordered the slave to appear at the Hackensack courthouse and “be burnt until he is dead.” This was the type of justice at the time from the Hackensack government.
The township records show the first major crime in 1885–a burglary in the local schoolhouse located on the site of the present Town House at Teaneck Road and Forest Avenue.
In 1900, the township had three part-time constables and the biggest problem was clearing out the tramps who disembarked from trains passing through. By the end of the decade, residents start to complain about the frequency of speeding motor vehicles on township streets.
It was in 1913 that Teaneck experienced a cold-blooded murder during a July Fourth celebration. The township committee held an emergency meeting and offered a reward of $100 for evidence leading to the arrest of the person responsible. It also agreed to hire a detective agency to hunt down the killer.
By the end of 1913, the committee decided to hire two full-time police officers and was willing to pay from $50 to $65 a month for the two men. In 1914, the committee hired Jesson Witham and William Jahnes as the town’s first two officers. They were instructed to “preserve the public peace and prevent crimes.” A separate contract was awarded to R. T. Davison to transport prisoners to the Hackensack Jail. Thus, the first paid police department was born in 1914. Within a year, the force grew to four men. Two iron cells were purchased for $175, and two motorcycles were bought for the men. By 1923, there were still four men in the department, with one serving as chief. In those days, police officers worked more than 70 hours a week.
The force increased by three in 1924, by five more in 1926, and by 1930 the department had more than 20 officers to patrol the more than 100 miles of roads and protect the 19,000 residents in the growing township.
Motorcycles were phased out soon after a patrolman on his scooter collided with a milk truck in a heavy fog at the corner of River Road and Tilden Street. Increased mileage to patrol, the construction of highways, and enforcement of the prohibition laws made the job of a police officer all the more difficult.
Burglaries were more frequent, although still only a couple per year, and traffic accidents started to mount. With bank robberies increasing around the country during the depression, the Teaneck Police Department created a heavily-armed riot squad to guard the banks in the township. The construction of the George Washington Bridge brought Teaneck closer to New York City and its criminal element. In 1937, a union official from New York City who lived in the township was gunned down in the driveway of his home at 1130 Larelton Parkway. New York City thugs were blamed for the killing but no one was ever indicted. A 33-officer force now protected a community of more than 22,000 residents. One-way radios were installed in police vehicles. This enabled an officer to receive a call but he could not transmit back to the central office.
By the end of the 1930’s, Teaneck police were among the first to attend special courses in law enforcement at Rutgers University. Money was set aside for a pistol shooting range to improve marksmanship.
The manpower shortage resulting from World War II brought the strength of the department down to half, and there were only four old automobiles on the road. School crossing guards helped the police but, because of the gasoline rationing, there were fewer cars on the road. These factors alleviated the personnel crunch.
In any case, in 1945, the Saturday Evening Post published a feature story entitled “No Crime in Teaneck .” The declining crime statistics attracted national attention. In the following year, Teaneck police for the first time, killed a burglar who was attempting to steal from a Bogert Street home. He was ordered to halt, did not, and was shot.
After the war, the force was beefed up to 39 officer and four new cars were purchased. Interestingly enough, the police throughout its history, except after 1980s, made wide use of private automobiles to make up for the continual shortage of police vehicles. The 1950’s saw an increase in traffic, especially with the development of the business districts. New patrol zones were established and foot patrols were added on a full-time basis. There were 41 officers and six foot patrolmen to cover the township.
Housed in a headquarters on the Municipal Green and equipped with an updated communications system, the department began to take on a modern appearance and a new approach to police functions. Education became a key focus of the department’s objectives. Special recruit training programs were into operation and men were sent to the New Jersey Police Academy, which was newly established.
The 1960’s saw a completed modernization of the the department under the leadership of Chief Robert Fitzpatrick. On September 15, 1962, Fredrick Green was the first African-American to join the previously all white police force. The number of uniformed personnel hovered in the 70’s as civilians were hired to do non-police work, and a completed departmental re-organization took place. The Police Department of 1972 had a total authorized strength of 89 men which included one chief, two captains, nine lieutenants, nine sergeants, 57 patrolmen and eleven plainclothes detectives of varying ranks. By 1973, Teaneck had a newly renovated police headquarters.
On January 4, 1981, Teaneck’s first female police officer was hired. By 1993, Teaneck had five female police officers. In 1980s, a point system was instituted to measure the productivity of patrol officers. A uniform change also took place; sergeants began to wear the same white shirts as captains and lieutenants.
A new township Manager was hired in 1990 and the point productivity system was ended. During 1991 and 1992, the Police Department manual was updated for the first time since 1943. A full-time training bureau was established. In 1992, a computer bureau was also established. September 27, 1993 was another historic day for the Teaneck Police Department. The official groundbreaking took place for a new headquarters located at the north end of the municipal complex.
On the rainy evening of April 10, 1990, the Teaneck police responded to a call from a resident complaining about a teenager with a gun. Minutes later, Thelma and Phillip Pannell’s 16-year-old son, Phillip, was shot in the back by Patrolman Gary Spath after a chase from a schoolyard into a neighboring backyard. Spath, the son of Elaine and George Spath, lifelong Teaneck residents, said he thought Pannell was turning to shoot him. Some witnesses said Pannell was unarmed. Spath’s partner, Wayne Blanco, said he had lightly frisked Pannell during the chase and warned Spath that he had a gun. Phillip Pannell was African-American, Spath was white. What followed was unlike anything known in Teaneck before and since. The New York television crews were on the spot in minutes. Newscasters interviewed every willing soul in sight gathering comments, some factual, others not. The shooting became the subject of the nightly newscasts and daily newspapers for two years.
By this time, the authorized strength of the Police Department was increased to 99 police officers. The increase allowed Chief Donald Giannone to create a Community Policing Bureau (CPB) in November 1993. The purpose of the CPB was to work with residents to find out what concerns were important to the Township and how police and the community could work together to address these concerns. Since 1993, Chief Giannone has been changing the Police Department’s philosophy to one of community policing. In 1995, the chief appeared on cable TV’s CNN channel to discuss his success in improving community relations. In 1995, the new police headquarter was complete and the department moved in during July.
Today, the Teaneck Police Department comprises 99 police officers from many diverse backgrounds. Its members seek input from the community in preventing and solving crime and quality-of-life issues. Its detective bureau work with federal, state and local task forces to investigate complex criminal activities. As the turn of the century approaches, the department remains ready to adapt to new challenges.
Update of the History of the Teaneck Police Department from 1995 By Paul Tiernan
After the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Teaneck Police Department implemented increased surveillance of the many diverse houses of worship in the town. Two members of the department were trained in a Community Anti-Terrorism course entitles “CatEyes”. The officers spoke to community groups about the fundamental goals of terrorism and ways that residents could aid the police by reporting suspicious activity.
In 2003, the department was increased to one hundred and one officers with the creation of two Deputy Police Chief positions. Captain Paul M. Tiernan was named Deputy Chief of Operations and Captain Fred Ahern was named Deputy Chief of Administration. A short time later Police Chief Donald Giannone announced that he would be taking his vacation leave in June of 2003 and retire on January 1, 2004. In June of 2003, Deputy Chief Paul M. Tiernan was named Acting Chief of Police and became permanent Chief in 2004.
In May of 2005 a fight between four people across the street of a popular night spot left one man dead from a stab wound and another seriously injured. Teaneck Police worked around the clock and quickly solved the crime.
Suspected gang activity was on the rise in 2006. In July a fifteen year old Teaneck youth was shot outside of a party attended by suspected members of the Blood street gang. Once again, Teaneck Police worked around the clock and arrested the shooter.
In November of 2006, Teaneck Police arrested a township man for slashing a man’s neck that resulted in over 300 stitches needed to close the wound. Police suspected that gang activity was involved. As a result of this and other suspected gang activity, Teaneck Police began instructing the national “Gang Resistance Education Training” program to middle school students.
In March of 2007, Teaneck Police arrested seven suspected gang members and seized a handgun. The arrested individuals were suspected of seeking retaliation for the beating of a suspected rival gang member earlier that day. Later in the year, the Township Council authorized the expansion of the police force to 106 members to deal with the increasing gang violence. Even though gang activity was increasing, crime in Teaneck decreased each of the previous four years.
The National Police Accreditation process had begun in 2007. The process was expected to take three years to complete.
In 2007, Teaneck Police Chief Paul M. Tiernan competed in a nation-wide search for the position of Chief of Police in the City of Newark, Delaware. Chief Tiernan was selected from over 90 candidates for the position. After 28 years in Teaneck, the last four as Chief, Tiernan announced his retirement effective January 1, 2008. Chief Tiernan began his vacation leave in late September of 2007 and started his career in Newark. Deputy Chief Fred Ahearn was named Acting Chief until the official retirement of Chief Tiernan.
In 2008, just six years short of its 100th anniversary, the Teaneck Police Department continues to grow and prepare its self to meet the needs of the Township.
By Edward D. Radin
From: Saturday Evening Post , July 28, 1945
Not so long ago, FBI agents swarmed through Teaneck, New Jersey . They poked, probed, questioned and checked. Then they wrote a report. For years, teaneck has been at the bottom of the annual crime parade of statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and because of town seemed too good to be true, the G-men were out to determine whether the low figure was fact or fiction. It is fact. Teaneck is the nearest thing to a crimeless town in this country.
Teaneck has had exactly one murder in almost two decades, with this one hardly counting, since the man was killed elsewhere and his body dumped on the town’s outskirts; two robberies in seven years; an occasional rubber check, and a handful of burglaries each year. Teaneck is not a remote village in a mountain fastness, but is one of the largest municipalities in Bergen County, with a population of 33,000. It is a scant five miles from New York City, and is next door to many of New Jersey’s busy industrial centers.
During 1944, the Teaneck police department entered the names of nine juveniles in its black book. But only two of them actually committed a crime, and these two came from another city to steal tires. The others included four boys, ranging in age from seven to ten, who tossed stones at passing trains. They were lectured and the dark deed has not been repeated. Two older boys practicing judo smashed a neighbor’s window, an accident rather than a crime.
The adult-crime picture for ’44 was equally barren. A police clerk with time hanging on his hands listed 190 “Crimes Reported and Known.” but only in Teaneck would many of these episodes ever be placed on a station-house blotter. The entries included such whimsical items as eavesdropping and detaining a homing pegeon.
How to Clean Up a Town
Teaneck took its first step toward becoming a crimeless town in 1930, when the residents, faced with shrinking incomes and rising tax rates, decided to clean house. Instead of electing the other party in the hope of reform, the aroused electorate kicked all politicians where it hurts and scrapped their form of government in favor of a city manager.
Lean, white-haired Pual A. Volcker, who made a reputation as city manager of Cape May, New Jersey, was hired to take over. His instructions were brief: Clean up the mess and run the town as if it were a going business concern. This has been done. Since Teaneck is a residential community, its main business is to encourage new residents. Its population in the past fifteen years has almost doubled. Yet despite the increased demand for town services plus new costs for services never before given, the municipal debt has dropped a cool $3,000,000, an indication of how deep the political park barrel is, even in average communities.
Respect for law was established among adults by making it impossible to fix traffic tickets and by chasing the bookies, policy collectors and gambling joints out of town. Respect was obtained from the teenagers by giving them a place in the sun.
They are encouraged to drop in at City Hall with request, and reasonable ones are granted. If they are off the beam, they are told why. Recently a group of high-school students met with Volcker and Recreation Superintendent Rodda. They thought an outdoor party in the town’s central park might be a good idea. Volcker and Rodda thought so too. The students were allowed to select their own chaperons. The police safety bereau constracted a dance floor, the fire department set up powerful floodlights and built a safe bonfire for hot dogs and marshmallows, and the highway department contributed trucks for transportation. The manner in which the various town departments pitched in is typical of Teaneck. Government is a community affair to an extent seldom seen elsewhere.
No citizen of Teaneck can complain that he doesn’t know what is going on. Each year, a large-size, thirty-two-page booklet containing the proposed budget, a detailed report of the activities of every department and an analysis of all expenditures is delivered weeks in advance of a budget hearing to each home. The taxpayer knows the score and he knows what to do about it.
Teaneck’s First Town Hall, also the Home of the First Police Headquarters. 1914.
Police Department in 1914. Right to Left: W. Lutthaus, Chief E. Murphy, J. Brinkerhoff J. A. Witham and J. Bublitz
Police Department in 1924
Police Department in 1930s
Police Department in 1942
Police Department in 1948
New Building built 1951 for Police Department
Chief Cornelius Harte, served from 1927-1966
Organization Chart for Teaneck Police Department in 1952
By Ryan Levinsohn , Staff Writer
Teaneck Suburbanite , July 16, 2008, p. 3
On July 1, Robert Wilson officially became Teaneck’s police chief, filling the role that was previously occupied by acting Chief Fred Ahearn and retiring Chief Paul Tierman before him.
Wilson, 43, has been on the police force since 1987 when he served as a patrol officer for seven years. In 1992 he was promoted to sergeant, then to lieutenant in 1995 and most recently in 2003 he was promoted to captain.
Wilson’s promotion to chief is just one of many promotions made in the 98 officer department.
“Approximately 20 percent of the police department has been promoted or reassigned to more desirable jobs so there’s a lot of happiess,” Willson said.
As chief, Wilson hopes that the department continues to provide the same services to the township that has for the past 94 years, and will make adjustments when necessary.
“I’m just excited about getting involved in work and making sure all our processes are in order, evaluate the organization, analyze our policies and procedures, identify any problems that may exist, implement any kind of reforms that need to be made and just basically monitor the performance into the future,” Wilson said.
As chief he is overseeing the completion of construction on the police station and actively playing a part in the hiring of up to three new officers. Wilson will submit recommendations for the new officers to Township Manager Helene Fall, who appointed Wilson.
“My determination is that he is very qualified to be in the position,” Fall said. “I do believe that the community and the department will be well served by his leadership.”
“The people know that they can come to us and they can get the services they need and we can do it efficiently and effectively with respect,” Wilson said.
Wilson first became an officer when he was 19, at the recommendation of his uncle, an officer in North Bergen.
“Even as a child, growing up in Teaneck, I always know the police department was about providing service,” Wilson said. “We try to keep that as our main thrust. I want to build as many positive relationships as I can between the police department and the various entities and citizen groups within the community.”
Wilson received his associate’s degree in police science from Bergen Community College, his bachelor’s degree from Jersey City State College and a master’s in public administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is also a graduate of the West Point Command and Leadership School and is certified by the state as a public manager.
Wilson resides in Bergen County with his wife of 20 years, Joan, and three kids Maggie, Elizabeth, and Bobby.
“I feel honored to have been given the opportunity to be police chief,” Wilson said. “I am going to work my best to provide the highest level of service I can.”
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Teaneck Suburbanite
Newark Police Chief Paul M. Tiernan, former Teaneck Police Chief from July 2003 – Jan. 2008, was honored as the Police Chief of the Year by the Delaware League of Local Governments this past weekend. Chief Tiernan was nominated in particular for his initiation of Newark’s Crime Suppression Plan and for redefining the primary function of the Traffic Division to reduce collisions.
Newark has had a reduction of crime that is directly attributable to the Crime Suppression Plan. After analyzing past crime statistics, Chief Tiernan instituted the Plan in fall of 2008 that specifically targeted street robberies and assaults that coincided with the return of the students to University of Delaware. Since the students tend to be the targets of these crimes, Chief Tiernan deploys more officers in areas where such crimes are more likely to occur.
“We are sending a message to these criminals that you cannot do business in Newark. The community will not accept their presence,” says Police Chief Tiernan. “We will be vigilant in our protection of University of Delaware students and Newark citizens.”
The Chief’s changes to the Traffic Division have led to a 17.4 percent reduction in collisions from 2008 to 2010. Prior to the changes made to the Traffic Division, officers investigated all collisions that occurred during their work shifts, which consumed most of their time. When not conducting investigations, the officers would conduct specific enforcement, such as speeding, red light or stop sign violations. Chief Tiernan changed the focus of the Division so that Traffic officers now only investigate serious collisions – usually involving serious injury or death. Routine collisions are now handled by Patrol officers, which allow Traffic officers to focus on targeted enforcement of violations where residents have complained about traffic problems, areas of known violations and accident-prone intersections. Consistent enforcement has led to a more cautionary driving public and reduction of collisions.
“I am using many of the same techniques I used to reduce crime and motor vehicle accidents the fours years I was chief in Teaneck. My years spent in charge of the Teaneck Police Department Community Policing Bureau help me work very closely with the citizens of Newark. I believe serving as chief of police in Teaneck gave me the experience and ability to work in almost any community in America,” Tiernan said.
By Mark Krulish, staff writer
Teaneck Suburbanite, Dec. 25, 2014, p. 1
TEANECK – Six township police officers received promotions while the acting chief was permanently appointed to his role during a presentation at Teaneck’s Dec. 17 council meeting.
Chief Robert Carney, who had been serving as the town’s acting chief since March, was officially named the ninth police chief in the 100-year history of the Teaneck Police Department.
“Many of the people I’ve sworn in tonight are Teaneck kids and this is a Teaneck kid,” said Township Manager William Broughton. “They have gone through the school system, they know the town and they are dedicated to Teaneck.”
Carney has served on the force for the past 26 years, joining the department in 1988. He has held various positions in that time, including patrol officer, Sgt. of motor patrol, Sgt. of the traffic bureau and Captain of operations.
“I joined the department in 1988. That department was one in which officers were driven by quotas and strict law enforcement,” said Carney. “We’ve come a long way since those days. Today, we’re a full-service department working with our diverse community to improve their quality of life.”
Carney had been serving as the Township’s Deputy Chief until the retirement of former Chief Robert Wilson in March. Carney was then named acting chief until the promotion could be made permanent.
“To be appointed chief of these men and women is truly an honor and a privilege,” said Carney as he addressed a packed council chamber. “I have confidence in this community and its police officers. Together, we can do great things.”
With Carney’s ascension to police chief, Capt. Glenn O’Reilly became Teaneck’s new Deputy Chief. O’Reilly is a 23-year veteran of the Teaneck Police Department and has been the captain of the investigation division since 2010. With O’Reilly’s rise creating another vacancy, a 21-year officer, Lt. John Faggello, was promoted to captain after earning numerous commendations for his work.
Sgt. Scott M. Tesser was promoted to lieutenant after 13 years of working as an officer in Teaneck. Tesser is a domestic violence training officer and was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the Bergen County 200 Club in 2011.
Three female officers, Zoraida Martinez, Kimberly Johnson and Jeanette Williams, were all promoted to the role of Sergeant during the evening’s presentation.
“When I started on the council there was an issue of having minorities in ranking officials on the police force,” said Mayor Lizette Parker. “So to swear in three women tonight, that deserves a round of applause.”
Martinez has served Teaneck for the past 18 years and has been an asset to the general investigation unit, helping close many difficult cases, along with her work in the detective bureau and community policing bureau.
Johnson, a 20-year veteran, has been a school resource officer and excels in communication and interaction with the public, known for her patience and compassion with township residents.
Williams has been noted for her work with children as a detective in the juvenile bureau and as a specialist in the interviewing techniques of young children in her 18-year tenure on the force.
“Today is really a wonderful day for Teaneck,” said Deputy Mayor Elie Katz. “We really do have one of the best police departments in the state. You don’t realize that until you call a police officer in some other communities. Judging them by the same metrics, apple to apples, we have a phenomenal police department.”
During their comments, council members touched on a number of issues facing police departments within towns and cities across the country, but were universal in their praise for the job done by township officers in working with the community as a whole.
“America is going through a crisis in terms of community relations with the police department,” said Councilman Henry Pruitt. “But within the Township of Teaneck, under the leadership of Chief Wilson and continued leadership of Chief Carney, this department is a model for all police departments in Bergen County, the State of New Jersey and the country.”