Hackensack Police Archives - MICHAEL O. ALLEN

POLICE ISSUE HIGH-RISE CRIME WARNING

By michael o. allenHomepage, The RecordNo Comments

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer |Wednesday, April 15, 1992

The Record (New Jersey) | 5 Star | NEWS | B01

Following a rash of cat burglaries over the past two months, police have issued a second warning to managers and residents of Hackensack’s mid- and high-rise apartment buildings.

On six evenings between Jan. 30 and March 30, cat burglars entered 30 apartments by popping open sliding doors on terraces and patios and stole jewelry and cash, Police Chief William Iurato said Tuesday.

Similar burglaries have been reported by nearby communities, including Fort Lee, Cliffside Park, Edgewater, and North Bergen, Iurato said.

The chief said a loose-knit group of burglars appears to be at work. They strike at dusk, climbing onto roofs and jumping from balcony to balcony, entering several apartments in a building, he said.

On Jan. 30 and 31, Feb. 20, 25, and 28, and March 30, apartment buildings on Prospect, Clinton, and Euclid avenues and Anderson Street were entered.

Tenants at Quail Heights II, a mid-rise apartment building on Prospect Avenue, reported that burglars, working their way from the roof, broke into at least four apartments on the night of Feb. 20. As in the other burglaries, no injuries were reported.

Residents returning home realized something was amiss when they found their doors chain-locked from the inside, tenants said.

Police first sent letters to the tenants and managers of the apartments on Feb. 26.

In Cliffside Park, 12 apartments have been entered during the same period, Police Chief Daniel Derito said. The burglars seem to have no fear of climbing onto roofs and can jump from balcony to balcony, Derito said.

Residents of high- or mid-rise apartments with balconies should put objects in the tracks of the sliding doors to make break-ins more difficult, he advised.

In Edgewater, a couple of burglaries fitting the Hackensack pattern have been reported, Police Capt. David Hanna said. Fort Lee Police John Orso also acknowledged a few burglaries.

April 15, 1992

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DECAL PROGRAM TO FIGHT AUTO THEFTS

By michael o. allenHomepage, The RecordNo Comments

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Wednesday, March 25, 1992

The Record (New Jersey) | 5 Star | SOUTH CENTRAL BERGEN YOUR TOWN RECORD |
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Police are asking residents to help them fight auto theft by registering their cars with the department and authorizing police to stop and search the cars if they see them on the road during the middle of the night.

Participants in the Combat Auto Theft program, which is voluntary and free, sign a consent form saying they do not drive their cars between 1 and 5 a.m., and that they authorize any law enforcement officer to stop and check if it is seen on the road during those hours, said Lt. Paul Romaine.

Residents receive a reflective yellow sticker bearing the letters CAT that they put in the rear, left-side car window.

Police have to have probable cause to stop a car and search it, Romaine said. The sticker is numbered and has information on the car’s owner.

The program is part of a statewide attempt to combat auto theft, Romaine said. “It’s a good program,” he said. “It protects the car owner.”

Interested residents have to register in person at the city’s police headquarters at 205 State St. between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. They must provide a valid New Jersey driver’s license and registration for the car. Participants can withdraw from the program at any time by writing the department and removing the sticker from their car windows.

For additional information call Romaine in the Hackensack Police Crime Prevention Bureau at 646-7725 or 646-7726.

Caption: PHOTO of Hackensack Police auto theft decal.

March 25, 1992

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FLORIO SEEKS NEW WIRETAP LAWS CITES ELECTRONIC USE IN CRIME

By michael o. allenHomepage, The RecordNo Comments

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Thursday, October 24, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS | Page A03

Against a din of voices protesting his policies, Governor Florio on Wednesday proposed updating state wiretap laws to enable law enforcement officials to intercept communications on electronic devices such as beepers and fax machines.

“It is time we stop fighting crime with one hand tied behind our back,” Florio said in front of city police headquarters as he proposed the amendment, which Assemblymen Byron M. Baer, D-Englewood, and D. Bennett Mazur, D-Fort Lee, said they would introduce in the Assembly next month.

The amendment would target drug dealers and organized drug activities, Florio said, and would allow police to get court orders to intercept communications on beepers, faxes, and cellular telephones, which they are not allowed to do under current law.

“If there is anything we’ve learned about dealing with drug dealers, it’s that they are very sophisticated. They keep up with the times. They are right in there using all the high technology to further their bad business. Today they communicate with beepers, computers, fax machines, whatever,” he said.

Current laws allow law enforcement officials to get court orders to wiretap traditional telephones when they suspect criminal activities are taking place. New Jersey failed to update its laws in this area in 1988, as required in a 1986 law updating federal wiretap laws, the governor said.

Hackensack Police Chief William C. Iurato said any tool that assists police in fighting drugs is appreciated, particularly in the areas delineated in Florio’s proposed legislation.

Lt. Ron Natale, commander of the department’s detective bureau, said the proposed amendment would enable police to remove drugs from the streets as well as conduct other investigations.

Natale mentioned a search in June for Kelly Gonzalez, a 4-year-old Hackensack girl kidnapped from her home because her father was allegedly involved in a dispute over drugs. Kelly was returned to her mother after eight days in captivity.

“He, the victim’s father, had beeper contact with numerous people, and had we had legislation of this nature at that time, it may have led to a more speedy recovery of the victim,” Natale said.

Baer said he would work to get the bill passed quickly.

“Without these tools, even the legendary Elliot Ness and Joe Friday would be left behind by modern criminals who use beepers, radios, computers, fax machines, ultramodern automatic weapons, and cop-killer bullets,” Baer said.

A group of about 30 placard-carrying protesters waited for Florio, heckled him during his 10-minute speech, then booed when he finished. An amused smile playing on his face, he weathered cries of “Florio, go home” and other shouts from passing motorists.

“It’s the political season, after all,” Florio said.

Keywords: FLORIO; NEW JERSEY; LAW; ELECTRONIC; HACKENSACK; POLICE; CRIME

Caption: PHOTO – JOHN DECKER / THE RECORD – Governor Florio on the steps of police headquarters in Hackensack on Wednesday calling for updated state laws on the use of wiretaps.

October 24, 1991

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