SHOUT OUTS: Four Bergen County Police Department officers were promoted and a new one sworn in last night.

New Lt. James Smith currently serves as a Water Search and Recovery diver, a medical examiner, an Alcotest assistant coordinator and a SWAT team operator and sniper.

Smith — who has been a patrol and school resource officer — was promoted to sergeant in 2006 and served as a supervisor in the patrol and the criminal investigations division. He was graduated from Hasbrouck Heights High School in 1992, enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served for four years of active duty. After receiving an honorable discharge, he worked for two years as a county corrections officer before joining the BCPD.

Lt. John Laduca was assigned as Bomb Squad commander and Crisis Negotiation team leader in 2012. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University, became a Fair Lawn police officer in 2000 and became a BCPD patrolman two years later.

Laduca began with the Bomb Squad in 2003 as a trainee and subsequently was certified as a hazardous materials technician and radiological response officer. He has also served on the Crisis Negotiation Team and is certified as a bomb technician by the FBI and as a Crime Prevention Officer by the NYPD.

Lt. Frank Carrafiello came to the BCPD 16 years ago from the U.S. Marine Corps, for which he served as a sniper. He has Bachelor of Arts degree from FDU and has held various positions and assignments with the department.

That includes nearly 15 years with the SWAT Team, as well as serving with the Water Search and Recovery Team and Criminal Investigations Division. He also served as a Police Academy instructor and range master and has been on loan as a task force officer with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Lt. Bruce Reed is currently a bomb technician with the BCPD Bomb Squad and is the administrator of the Field Training program. A graduate of St. Mary’s HS in Rutherford, he became a Rutherford police officer in 2000 before transferring to the Bergen County Police Department four years later.

Reed (top, with BCPD Chief Brian Higgins, Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan) has served the BCPD as a patrol officer, detective, and member of the Office of Emergency Management.

Sworn in last night was Officer Joseph Pride, who previously worked as a NJ State Corrections officer for 1½ years and as an EMT for the city of Newark for eight years.

Most recently, he worked at the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office for five years.

1. Lt. James Smith & family
2. Lt. John Laduca & family
3. Lt. Frank Carrafiello & family
4. Lt. Bruce Reed & family
5. Officer Joseph Pride with BCPD Officer Matthew Bartlett,
who transferred to BCPD from HCSD last year.

SHOUT OUT: Hackensack police are seeking participants for their volunteer H-COP special police officer program, which gives citizens a firsthand look at law enforcement.

H-COP was launched in 1997 as a community outreach effort that supports the department with additional manpower while offering citizens a better understanding of what it means to be a police officer.

Selected applicants will be enrolled in a Special Law Enforcement Class at the Bergen County Law and Public Safety Institute in Mahwah.

Those who successfully complete the couse will be certified as Class 1 special officers.

They’ll receive additional training by Hackensack officers in: patrol tactics, rules and regulations, traffic control, pepper spray, nightstick, handcuffing and the writing of reports and summonses.

CLICK here for: HACKENSACK PD H-COP application 

The H-COP program is open to all U.S. citizens, 18 years or older, with a driver’s license and a high school diploma or GED.

All must complete an H-COP application and pass a police background check and interview process. Those who qualify will then required a physical and psychological exam.

Each candidate buys his or her own uniform but the city reimburses the cost upon successful completion of the Academy and one year of service, which includes at least eight hours of volunteer service per month.

SHOUT OUTS: This week, Bergen County will join local and state governments nationwide in honoring the behind-the scenes heroes in public safety: the dispatchers, call takers, telecommunication professionals and radio technicians who are the very first to respond to emergencies.

Launched more than three decades ago, National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week aims to spotlight the unsung contributors during both personal and public crises. The centerpiece takes place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, when Bergen’s crew will be honored by local and county officials (SEE BELOW).

No bigger event happened last year in Bergen County than a gunfire spree by a young man with a rifle at the Garden State Plaza.

Emergency responders of all sizes descended on the mall that Nov. 4 night. Making it possible for all to communicate: Bergen County Communications professionals.

COURTESY: Bergen County Communications Center

They relayed the calls to the county command post and Paramus police of shoppers and store employees locked down in the mall after 20-year-old Richard Shoop of Teaneck began shooting.

But that was only the beginning.

Dispatchers updated the county Command Post and local police on Shoop’s description and movements, while two public safety telecommunicators rushed to the scene in an SUV mini-command post and distributed radios programmed to the Bergen County Trunk Radio System.

It was a critical link: Such interoperability isn’t available every day.

“This allowed multiple agencies and towns to talk on the same talk group and communicate in real time,” said Capt. Mark Lepinski, communications director of the Bergen County Public Safety Operations Center. “All the municipalities and agencies involved were able to talk to one another and work as a team.”

Less than two months earlier, calming words from a county dispatcher helped avert potential disaster after a drunken Westwood man threatened to kill himself with a loaded semi-automatic handgun.

It was only after the troubled caller put the weapon down and surrendered that police discovered he’d positioned several other loaded firearms in a path from his front porch into the house.

PHOTO: Courtesy John Gil, Bergen County Executive’s Office

Veteran dispatcher Cindy Saidel took the 52-year-old man’s call. She knew him from previous dispatching days in Closter and was able to keep him on the line while alerting local police.

“Apparently, he was intoxicated and holding the gun as he sat on his porch, saying he wanted to end his life,” Westwood Police Chief Frank Regino told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.

Westwood police rushed to the Dean Street home, assisted by officers from Hillsdale and River Vale. They found the man sitting on his porch, holding what turned out to be a loaded Glock .9mm, the chief said.

“They showed the utmost restraint, given how close they were to him,” Regino said. “They laid back while the dispatcher talked with him.

“After about 15 minutes, he put the gun down and surrendered to our officers.”

The man was taken to Bergen Regional Medical Center and no charges were filed.

“It looked like he was ready to go,” one veteran officer told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “Who knows what could have happened if it escalated?”

Calm all around kept everyone from finding out.

Saidel “was just phenomenal,” Regino said.

It was only a few days later when a group of first responders and a pair of good Samaritans brought a man who collapsed in Overpeck Park in Leonia back to life.

The victim began having severe chest pains while walking with his wife on a jogging path in the park’s north end. After sitting down on a bench, he collapsed.

Police responding to a call of a man in cardiac arrest found a man and woman doing CPR on him, thanks to cellphone instructions from county telecommunicators Britta Beacham, Kelly Conway and Michael Palmer.

The officers took over, using a portable defibrillator and CPR to get the man’s heart pumping until paramedics and EMTs arrived.

The man eventually recovered at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, Leonia Police Chief Thomas Rowe said.

“Collectively, their dedication and hard work saved a life,” Rowe said.

PST professionals routinely pull 12-hour shifts. They work weekends, holidays. They deal with all types of crises and emergencies, rarely — if ever — knowing how the horrible stories they hear will turn out.

They “don’t nearly get the credit [they] deserve, but make a difference every day,” said Lepinski, the ops center communications director.

On Tuesday, police, firefighters, EMS workers, mayors, council members and others from throughout Bergen County will gather at the ops center in Mahwah beginning at 6 p.m. to honor the heroes you never see.

“So many tech vendors that keep our system up and running have donated gifts to show their appreciation. The county executive will be there to present a proclamation,” said Tamara Strauss, Lepinski’s assistant. “This shows them that what they do really matters.”

SHOUT OUT: A Ramsey patrolman will be among several law enforcement officers honored by the New Jersey Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving for “outstanding enforcement of the state’s Driving While Intoxicated laws.”

His superiors nominated Patrolman James “Scott” Peterson for the honor at the Law Enforcement Recognition breakfast scheduled for June 11 at Middlesex County College in Edison.

Peterson will be recognized for “outstanding and distinguished service to [the] community” in 2013 for “saving lives by preventing crashes.”

The three-year veteran led the department last year with 14 self-initiated DWI arrests, Police Chief Bryan Gurney said.

“It is nice to see a young officer develop and understand the importance of enforcing the DWI laws,” Gurney said. “He has made the borough of Ramsey a safer community.”

ONLY ON CVP: A short time after reviving an 82-year-old woman who stopped breathing on a city street, Hackensack Police Officer Victor Vazquez arrested a wanted ex-con who’d been taunting him during a drug stop. But that wasn’t all.

Hackensack Police Director Michael Mordaga tried calling Vazquez in to congratulate him this afternoon.

But the officer apologized: He was helping subdue two men who led police on a chase that ended with a roadside brawl on Route 80 in Ridgefield Park.

Vazquez came to the city department in November from the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office.

“Only five months and he’s doing a great job,” Mordaga told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.

Some citizens agree.

“While our paths may never cross again, know that I will never forget what I saw up close and personal this afternoon — Officer Victor Vazquez, a real hero in action, on Essex Street in Hackensack,” Rosanna Wright wrote in a letter yesterday to Mayor John P. Labrosse, Jr.

Wright said she was on NJ Transit Bus #712 headed towards Main Street around 12:30 yesterday afternoon when an elderly woman trying to board at Railroad Avenue “started started to sway a bit.”

The woman collapsed on the sidewalk and a group of good Samaritans immediately surrounded her.

One of them was Wright, who said she “kneeled down to try to help make her more comfortable until help came.”

“The poor woman began to vomit, wet her clothing, and then her eyes went blank,” she said.

As she frantically began looking around for help, Wright said, Vazquez arrived.

He radioed in, then laid the victim on the ground and began doing chest compressions, she said.

“He did about 7 or 8 compressions and this lovely woman suddenly started breathing!” Wright wrote in her letter, a copy of which was obtained by CLIFFVIEW PILOT.

“There you are. Good for you. You’re back!” Vazquez told the victim.

“I know there has been a lot of adverse talk and publicity about the Hackensack Police Department over the last several years,” Wright wrote, “but Officer Victor Vazquez is proof that this City is in good, caring hands … and hearts.”

He was only just beginning, though.

An hour and a half later, Vazquez stopped a car on Central Avenue. As he spoke to the driver, Mordaga said, two men nearby began taunting him.

When he was done, Vazquez and another officer approached them.

One of the men, it turned out, was 28-year-old Alec Parker, a city ex-con with a 10-year adult arrest history, Mordaga said.

A short time earlier, city detectives entered Parker’s name as wanted in connection with a 3 a.m. street robbery that morning on High Street.

Parker was already awaiting separate trials robbery and drug charges, records show, when police said he hit a 21-year-old man over the head and took his wallet.

Arrested by Vazquez, Parker was being held on $50,000 bail in the Bergen County Jail.

Mordaga said he returned to his office from a meeting earlier today to find Wright’s letter to the mayor. He said he immediately tried getting hold of Vazquez to congratulate him.

“I didn’t even know about the Parker arrest yet,” he said.

When he tried reaching him, Mordaga said, he discovered that Vazquez had rushed to Ridgefield Park to back up fellow officers following a high-speed chase that began on Vreeland Avenue in the city and ended on Route 80 in Ridgefield Park. Officers from several surrounding towns assisted, as well.

“Citizens were calling 911 from their cellphones in their cars to report two guys fighting with police on the side of the highway,” the director said.

The officers subdued the pair and recovered 250 bags of heroin, Mordaga said. They were being processed late this afternoon on charges of aggravated assault on police, resisting arrest, and possession with the intent to distribute heroin (CHECK BACK TOMORROW FOR DETAILS).

The director, meanwhile, was planning on shaking Vazquez’s hand — “soon as I can get him to stand still.”

PHOTO: Courtesy HACKENSACK PD

TRIBUTE: A valued and trusted member of the Port Authority Police Department, Phoenix the explosives detection dog, has died after a long bout with cancer.

Phoenix, who was assigned to the Explosives Detection team of the PAPD K-9 Unit in 2007, worked with his partner, Officer Donald Golding, to search thousands of unattended bags, packages and parcels to help safeguard the area’s airports, seaports, terminals and PATH system for the traveling public.

He was also involved in the Port Authority’s community outreach, through which children got to meet and play with him.

“Phoenix never wavered in his dedication to duty,” the authority’s Joseph Pentangelo said. “He was a goodwill ambassador and a crime fighter and he will be missed.”

One of the largest specialized teams of its kind in the county, the PAPD K-9 Unit is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. It consists of dozens of police officers and three police sergeant handler teams divided into two areas: explosives and drug detection.

The Port Authority Police K-9 Unit was created in 1984 as a patrol dog program. The original unit consisted of nine teams assigned primarily to the Port Authority Bus Terminal and PATH facilities.

The Explosive Detection Team was added in 1996, along with the first Narcotics Detection Team, in response to the crash of TWA Flight 800 in Long Island. Each unit is assigned to the Police Department’s Special Operation Division.

Besides safeguarding facilities, the team has also trained more than 40 outside agencies.

It has responsibility for:

• Presidential, dignitary and papal visits;
• The United Nations General Assembly;
• Drug Enforcement Agency task force operations;
• K-9 sweeps during the execution of state and federal search warrants;
• K-9 sweeps of all Port Authority facilities during periods of high terror threats.

TRIBUTE: Today’s annual memorial service for Fair Lawn Police Officer Mary Ann Collura will feature the hanging of a portrait of the slain officer (above) in the borough courtroom “as a lasting reminder of her selfless and inspirational service,” police said.

The Fair Lawn PBA and the Fair Lawn Police Department will hold the 11th anniversary service at 3 p.m. on the 2nd floor of the Fair Lawn Municipal Building, 8-01 Fair Lawn Avenue. 

The public is encouraged to attend.

Time has only strengthened memories of Collura, who was shot and killed on the grounds of the Van Riper Ellis Broadway Baptist Church on River Road after coming to the aid of a fellow officer trying to arrest a murderous ex-con a decade ago.

The 18-year veteran was Fair Lawn’s first female police officer and a shining light throughout the community.

Her badge number, 136, is a familiar sight around town and beyond.

Collura was respected, admired and loved. Her commendation file contained a letter citing her professionalism from a motorist she’d ticketed.

She has a street, a rifle range and a post office, among other locations, named after her.

A lifelong borough resident, Collura attended William Paterson College.

She was so dedicated to public service that she nearly joined the Army before volunteering with the borough’s police reserves.

Three years later, she was in uniform with the Fair Lawn Police Department.

“I wanted to be on the road, taking it as it comes,” Collura once said, explaining her reason for becoming an officer.

The words still haunt those who loved her, many who still visit her grave in George Washington Memorial Park.

A Clifton colleague was chasing a speeding ex-con on Route 46 when the pursuit headed into Fair Lawn.

Collura was on her way when the driver — a 23-year-old drug dealer from Passaic named Omar Marti — lost control of his car, which ended up on the lawn of the church.

Marti tried to run, but the Clifton officer tackled him and was trying to pepper-spray him when Collura arrived.

Marti, desperate not to go back to prison, pulled a gun and fired, hitting Collura twice.

He then shot the other officer, got behind the wheel of Collura’s cruiser and drove over her while speeding off.

She was only 43.

Investigators from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office traced Marti to a town just outside Tampa, Fla., where he was killed in a shootout with area sheriff’s officers.

FLPBA #67

SHOUT OUT: Members of the Fair Lawn Rescue Squad are seeking help raising funds to buy flashlights for U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

“It turns out our troops are in the dark at night and need led flashlights,” Capt. Steven Milnes wrote. “Afghanistan has rough terrain and gravel that our troops have to walk across on base in the middle of the night.

The lights, which cost between $4-$8, “will be used to light up the ground while our brave soldiers walk to the bathroom or dining facility, for example,” Milnes said.

“We are asking our friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to help us help the troops,” he said.

CLICK HERE: Adopt-a-SoldierPlatoon

TRIBUTE: Fair Lawn Police Officer Mary Ann Collura’s brother, two sisters and other friends, loved ones and colleagues watched with pride this afternoon as a portrait of the slain veteran was hung in a borough courtroom as part of this year’s 11th annual remembrance service at the Municipal Building.

Patricia Snyder, Linda Hughes and Paul Collura joined nearly 75 people in honoring Collura, who was gunned down on the grounds of the Van Riper Ellis Broadway Baptist Church on River Road after coming to the aid of a fellow officer trying to arrest a murderous ex-con a decade ago.

Then, as today, it was Holy Thursday.

Fair Lawn Police Chief Glen Cauwels made opening remarks, and a blessing was given by Fair Lawn Detective David Boone, who is also a minister at Van Riper Ellis.

“As time goes by, it doesn’t get any less emotional for us,” Boone later told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.

The gold-framed portrait, which had been at PBA headquarters, was hung behind the dais in the council chambers by the Fair Lawn Police Honor Guard as the attendees observed a moment of silence.

“Today isn’t just a day to remember her sacrifice but to remember what she did for each and every one of us,” fellow Officer Michael O’Brien told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “So much has been left inside of us because of what she’s done.”

O’Brien recalled a time when ne was riding bikes with a friend in a wooded area when he was 15.

Police had been having trouble with some undesirables in the area, and Collura stopped them both.

“She checked us out until she knew that we were good to go,” he said, laughing. “I saw her a few days later, and she said, ‘Weren’t you …?’

“She may have been stern with us, but she had a heart of gold.”

PHOTO: Courtesy DOUGLAS HABER

Time has only strengthened memories of Collura, an 18-year veteran who was Fair Lawn’s first female police officer and a shining light throughout the community.

Her badge number, 136, is a familiar sight around town and beyond.

Collura was respected, admired and loved. Her commendation file contained a letter citing her professionalism from a motorist she’d ticketed.

She has a street, a rifle range and a post office, among other locations, named after her.

A lifelong borough resident, Collura attended William Paterson College.

She was so dedicated to public service that she nearly joined the Army before volunteering with the borough’s police reserves.

Three years later, she was in uniform with the Fair Lawn Police Department.

“I wanted to be on the road, taking it as it comes,” Collura once said, explaining her reason for becoming an officer.

The words still haunt those who loved her, many who still visit her grave in George Washington Memorial Park.

A Clifton colleague was chasing a speeding ex-con on Route 46 when the pursuit headed into Fair Lawn.

Collura was on her way when the driver — a 23-year-old drug dealer from Passaic named Omar Marti — lost control of his car, which ended up on the lawn of the church.

Marti tried to run, but the Clifton officer tackled him and was trying to pepper-spray him when Collura arrived.

Marti, desperate not to go back to prison, pulled a gun and fired, hitting Collura twice.

He then shot the other officer, got behind the wheel of Collura’s cruiser and drove over her while speeding off.

She was only 43.

Investigators from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office traced Marti to a town just outside Tampa, Fla., where he was killed in a shootout with area sheriff’s officers.

Today’s remembrance began with the “Pledge of Allegiance” before the portrait by Michael Malzone of Pompton Lakes was hung. It closed with many singing “God Bless America.” Also played was a song written in Collura’s honor called “The Ultimate Sacrifice.”

Boone read a poem, “Thank You, Officer,” that speaks to the day-to-day love, caring and consideration shown by the most dedicated public servants. He also quoted from President Kennedy’s 1961 “ask not what your country can do for you” inaugural address.

“That was Mary Ann,” Boone told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “She embodied that. She cared for so many people. That’s why we still care so much for her.”

TOP PHOTO: Courtesy FAIR LAWN P.O. MICHAEL O’BRIEN

FLPBA #67

SHOUT OUT: Hackensack firefighters and their families celebrated their 35th year of the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s “Fill the Boot Drive” by hittting the street yesterday and raising $4,000.

It was an “all hands” operation for more than two dozen on- and off-duty members of Hackensack Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 2081 and Hackensack Professional Fire Officers IAFF Local 3172, accompanied by their loved ones.

They also had a special visit from Kaitlin Spreen, one of their local MDA representatives and a summer camp attendee.

Fireman/ MDA Coordinator Timmy Rice asked Kaitlin if she was ready for this year’s camp.

She said she was so excited, “I follow a count clock on my phone.”

120 days to go, she said.

The firefighters have another boot drive set for Labor Day weekend, in tandem with the MDA’s annual telethon.

They’re hoping to reach their fundraising goal of $10,000, which will be used towards MDA research, medicine, muscle therapy, and the much anticipated summer camp.

PHOTOS: Courtesy TIMMY RICE

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the International Association of FireFighters efforts in filling the boot for the MDA.

SHOUT OUT: A fundraiser is being held tonight at the Dairy Queen in Wyckoff to help raise money to pay medical bills for more than a dozen pitbulls who were rescued from a Paterson dog-fighting ring.

The dogs, many of which are puppies, were rescued last Friday from what police are calling one of the largest dog fighting rings ever discovered in the area.

Dairy Queen will donate $3 from every blizzard purchased to A Pathway to Hope and Second Chance Pet Adoption League. Donations are also being accepted online. READ MORE ….

PHOTO: Courtesy MIDLAND PARK PRESS

SHOUT OUT: More than 3,000 runners are expected for this morning’s 28th Annual Lincoln Tunnel Challenge 5K under the Hudson to benefit more than 24,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities in the Special Olympics New Jersey program.

Presented by AmeriHealth New Jersey, the event begins and ends at the south tube in Weekhawken, with two starts: 8 a.m. for runners with times under 30 minutes, and 8:45 for all other runners and walkers.

This year’s 2014 Lincoln Tunnel Run already has raised more than $182,154 from 2,500 or pre- registered participants and their online pledges.

“Overall support for this event increases with each year, from the incredible commitment from Port Authority police and our presenting sponsor, AmeriHealth New Jersey, to runners reaching out to family and friends to pledge their support for our athletes,” said Marc Edenzon, president and CEO of Special Olympics New Jersey.

“While we have thousands of runners going through the tunnel, there have been well over 20,000 individuals who have reached out to support our athletes through this event,” Edenzon said.

In addition to individual participants, there are 185 teams — the largest of which is AmeriHealth, with 80 members. Runners from fifteen states, including as far as California, are expected.

“We commend Special Olympics New Jersey for its unwavering dedication to enabling children and adults with intellectual disabilities across our state to participate in year-round sports training and athletic competitions.”said Judith L. Roman, president and CEO of AmeriHealth New Jersey.

The event is a fundraising vehicle of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics New Jersey. Additional support has been provided by NJ TRANSIT, WCBS News Radio 880, WFAN Sports Radio, WCBS-FM 101.1, 92.3 NOW, Taylor Management Company, M & M Sanitation, Digital Realty Trust, La Yogurt, Mendon Truck Leasing & Rental, Genpro, Modell’s, Inserra Supermarkets/Shoprite Hoboken and Mary Kay.

INFO: www.sonj.org

TRIBUTE: A memorial service is scheduled tomorrow for Capt. James Tallia, a retired Allendale police captain who became an instructor for generations of law enforcement officers.

Tallia continued to work at the Bergen County Police Academy Range until a week before going into the hospital for the final time. He was 85 years old when he died last week.

Born in Paterson, “Jimmy” Tallia was graduated from Ramsey High School and moved to Allendale in 1958.

He devoted 57 years to law enforcement and service to the community — and to his wife, Isabel, who survives him.

Also surviving are sons Jim and Bob; daughters-in-law Kelley and Joann; and grandchildren Dalton, Michael, Connor, Alicia, Carli, Meaghan, Garrett, and Colby.

Private services were scheduled today and tomorrow.

The public service is at 11 a.m. tomorrow at the Bergen County Law & Public Safety Institute, 281 Campgaw Road in Mahwah, where Tallia was a range master.

Because of construction, everyone is asked to access the academy from the south in the Franklin Lakes, Pulis Avenue area.

SHOUT OUT: The Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department swearing-in ceremony for its new chief, lieutenant and nine officers was moved to the Fort Lee High School gymnasium this Tuesday to accommodate an expected overflow crowd.

It’s scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. 

Sworn in will be:

Police Chief Police Michael J. Coppola

Lt. Roman Galloza

Officer Jody Becker
Officer Michael Byrnes
Officer Dana Eustace
Officer Joseph Fullam
Officer Michael Griffin
Officer Jeffrey Lamboy
Officer Robert Littlejohn, Jr
Officer Brian Meyer
Officer Adam Temporale

Guests include:

Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Roma
Municipal Court Judge Marc A. Raso

SHOUT OUTS: The Port Authority Police Department will appoint three senior members to top leadership positions and promote 62 others in rank during a ceremony tomorrow on Staten Island.

Michael Brown will be appointed deputy chief, Louis Klock will be appointed inspector and John Roland will be appointed captain during the event at the Hilton Garden Inn, 1100 South Avenue.

In addition, 62 other PAPD members will be promoted to the ranks of lieutenant, sergeant and detective.

The Port Authority Police Department is responsible for protecting the traveling public who use the agency’s major airports, tunnels, bridges, seaport and PATH system. The PAPD also patrols the World Trade Center site.

SHOUT OUT: A week before their senior prom, Fort Lee High School students will play victims in a DWI crash re-enactment in the school parking lot tomorrow morning.

Fort Lee police, firefighters and educators collaborated on the 8:30 a.m. event, aimed at showing “how one poor choice can lead to death and even prison,” Detective Jaime Cuevas said this morning.

Speakers will include Municipal Court Judge Matthew Fierro, who will discuss the criminal procedures and legal consequences for a drunk-driving conviction.

ABC Towing donated the two vehicles that will be used in the staged crash.

Four students have volunteered to play victims. One will be a drunk driver who is texting, while another will be an intoxicated passenger.

In the script, the driver survives but the passenger dies — as does the driver of the other car, who is out with his wife on what for them is a date night.

Fort Lee Fire Department Engine/Rescue Company #2 and the Fort Lee Volunteer Ambulance Corp will demonstrate how they respond and react to a serious accident involving an entrapment and multiple injuries.

PHOTO, TOP: Courtesy FORT LEE FIRE DEPT. ENGINE/RESCUE CO. #2

SHOUT OUT: The baseball diamond will be Bergen County taxpayers’ best friend during a public auction this Saturday of confiscated sports memorabilia in Mahwah.

More than 250 lots will be offered, along with web-simulcast bidding will be available for those who can’t make it to the Bergen County Law & Public Safety Institute Hall of Heroes Auditorium, 281 Campgaw Road.

Among the treasured collectibles:

• Baseballs autographed by Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Walter Johnson, Rogers Hornsby and Napoleon LaJoie;
• A single ball signed by Willie, Micky and the Duke (Mays, Mantle, Snider);
• Trading cards that include New York Giants manager John J. McGraw and Chicago infielder Johnny Evers (Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance).

Also available will be signed bats, cards, postcards, photographs, plaques and lithographs, as well as ballplayer’s cancelled checks, handwritten notes, letters and commemorative envelopes.

There will also be vintage jackets, hats, tins, programs, yearbooks, magazines and newspapers, as well as contracts, ticket stubs and more.

The collection once belonged to William Stracher, a former Paterson drug store owner who admitted laundering money for a prescription drug ring by buying the memorabilia.

Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli, who made the items available, said he hopes to raise a few hundred thousand dollars that will go into the county kitty.

The prosecutor said he authenticated the collectibles by enlisting a handwriting expert he saw on the TV show “Pawn Stars.”
START TIME: 11 a.m.
PREVIEW: 9 a.m.
MORE INFO: www.caspert.com / 201-871-1600
(Caspert Auctioneers & Appraisers)

TRIBUTE: A funeral Mass is scheduled for Monday for popular Ridgefield Park Sgt. Steve A. Sulborsky. He was 42.

Sulborsky began his career with the Ridgefield Park Police Department in 1998.

He was a member of PBA Local # 86 and the New Jersey Honor Legion. He was also a member of the William F. Burk Masonic Lodge # 230.

He leaves a wife, Beth, and two children, Casey and Evan; two brothers, Kenneth and Brian and sister-in-law Laura.

He was predeceased by parents Kenneth and Ellen.

Visiting hours are from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. A Mass is set for 10:30 a.m. Monday at St. Francis RC Church, Ridgefield Park, with interment in George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education): www.foodallergy.org

A Masonic service at the funeral home is scheduled for Sunday afternoon.

SHOUT OUT: Law school, college and graduate students are eligible for any of four scholarships being offered by the County Prosecutors Association of New Jersey, Inc.

The Oscar W. Rittenhouse, Andrew K. Ruotolo, Jr., Harris Y. Cotton and the John H. Stamler Memorial Scholarships are each $2,500 one-year grants awarded by the non-profit association.

To be eligible for the Oscar W. Rittenhouse Memorial Scholarship, an applicant must be a New Jersey resident accepted for admission to a law school. The applicant must have an interest in pursuing a career as a prosecutor. The applicant must also demonstrate financial need.

To be eligible for the Andrew K. Ruotolo, Jr., Memorial Scholarship, an applicant must be a New Jersey resident accepted for admission to a law school or graduate school. The applicant must exhibit an interest in, and commitment to, enhancing the rights and well-being of children through child advocacy programs. The applicant must also exhibit financial need.

To be eligible for the Harris Y. Cotton Memorial Scholarship, an applicant must be a New Jersey resident accepted for admission to a law school. The applicant must have an interest in pursuing a career as a prosecutor with an emphasis in Domestic Violence or Hate Crime prosecutions. The applicant must also demonstrate financial need.

To be eligible for the John H. Stamler Memorial Scholarship, an applicant must be a New Jersey resident and a sworn law enforcement officer seeking educational advancement on a college or graduate level to improve his or her effectiveness as a law enforcement officer. The applicant must also demonstrate financial need.

Applications must be postmarked by July 15. Personal interviews of finalists will be conducted.

Applicants will be notified of the Committee’s decision in September.

Anyone interested in receiving an application can download one at: www.cpanj.info

(Scholarship recipients from previous years are ineligible.)

SHOUT OUTS: The Port Authority Police Department appointed three senior members to top leadership positions and promoted 62 others in rank, as well, in a move that top brass said will tighten up operations.

The promotions, mostly to supervisory positions, “will result in a greater management, supervision and leadership presence,” PAPD Chief Security Officer Joseph Dunne said.

“It is expected that these promotions will improve operations, performance and will help in reducing overtime costs while continuing to provide for a secure safe environment to those using our PA facilities,” Dunne added.

Of the 65 officers promoted on Thursday, 34 are New Jersey residents.

Eight are U.S. armed forces veterans. One is an attorney.

Ten have Master’s Degrees and 34 Bachelor’s degrees.

Michael Brown was appointed deputy chief, Louis Klock was appointed inspector and John Roland was appointed captain.

The Port Authority Police Department is responsible for protecting the traveling public who use the agency’s major airports, tunnels, bridges, seaport and PATH system. The PAPD also patrols the World Trade Center site.