Trending: NJ State Police Rank No. 2 in Terms of Twitter Followers

The department has 23,618 followers.

OK, so maybe it's not trending right now, but chances are, it soon will be. The New Jersey State Police ranked second among state police agencies nationally in terms of Twitter followers, according to statistics recently released by the IACP Center for Social Media. The agency has 23,618 followers, trailing only the Massachusetts State Police, which had a whopping 62,493 followers, as of April 30. The Texas Department of Public Safety (18,787), the Ohio State Highway Patrol (13,587) and the Indiana State Police (13,466) round out the top five. As of Monday morning, May 13, the State Police had 23,932 followers and had sent out 991 tweets. However, with over eight million people in the state as of the 2012 Census, the State Police still …

• Photos (1)

Clark Couple Carjacked at Knifepoint at Raritan Road Dunkin Donuts

Police are searching for a vehicle with the license plate T94BWX.

On May 5, a woman in the passenger seat of a Range Rover was threatened at knifepoint in the parking lot of the Dunkin Donuts on Raritan Road by thieves in a Mercedes Benz that was stolen during an Elizabeth carjacking earlier in the week, according to officials. At around 10 p.m. the driver of the Range Rover, 39, pulled into the Dunkin Donuts and entered the store, leaving his 21-year-old passenger inside the vehicle, according to a report on NJ.com. A Mercedes Benz pulled up next to the Range Rover and the driver exited the Benz, entered the Range Rover and pulled a knife on the passenger telling her to get out, Cranford Police Chief Eric Mason told NJ.com. The couple in the Range Rover was from Clark, according to reports and the 21-…

•  8 Comments
• Photos (3)

The Police Blotter, Clark

The Clark Blotter: Woman Arrested for Shoplifting, Drug Possession at ShopRite

The following arrest information was provided by the Clark Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction.

Clark police activity from April 29 - May 6, 2013: Shoplifting, Possession May 2, 10:01 p.m. – In the vicinity of Raritan Road and Walnut Avenue, police arrested Kathleen Freeman, age 39, single, unemployed of 30 Caswell Avenue in Fords for possession of a CDS (controlled dangerous substance) and for shoplifting from the ShopRite Supermarket at 76 Central Avenue. Freeman was subsequently released on her own recognizance pending a court date. Kenneth Gaulette was the arresting officer.    DUI May 5, 2:25 a.m. – In the vicinity of the Garden State Parkway, police arrested Javier Francisco, age 43, married, self-employed of 1461 Grand Concourse #5D in the Bronx for DUI (driving under the influence). Francisco was subsequently released pending…

• Photos (1)

Clark PD and FBI Searching for Investor's Bank Robber

The police and FBI have put out a picture of a suspect wanted for questioning in a May 3 bank robbery.

The Clark Police Department, along with the FBI, are currently investigating an armed robbery at the Investor's Savings Bank. The robbery occurred on Friday, May 3 at 3:01 p.m. at the bank's Westfield Avenue location in Clark.   Police said the suspect entered the bank, approached the teller, placed a handgun on the counter, and demanded that the teller turn over all the cash that was in the drawers.  The suspect then left the bank on foot. No injuries were reported.   The suspect was described as a dark-skinned black male, approximately 6 feet tall, and weighing approximately 180 to 200 lbs. He was wearing a dark blue v-neck sweater/shirt with fitted blue jeans and a dark blue/black baseball cap with no emblem. Anyone with information is…

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Union County Prosecutor's Office Trains Law Enforcement on Autism

More than 300 officers from 125 municipalities from all over the state attended a seminar to train them on the signs of autism.

Following an in-depth training session that educated more than 300 law enforcement officers from more than 125 municipalities across the state on recognizing signs of autism, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office has purchased and distributed an instructional video for additional training to all those who attended the session recently held in Elizabeth. The video, created by nationally renowned autism/law enforcement trainer Dennis Debbaudt of Port St. Lucie, Florida, details numerous scenarios that people diagnosed across the autism spectrum could produce, and ways that officers and first responders can best react. “The Center for Disease Control predicts that 1 in 49 births in New Jersey will result in a child diagnosed with an autism …

• Photos (1)

The Police Blotter, Clark

The Clark Blotter: Rahway Man Arrested for DUI

The following arrest information was provided by the Clark Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction.

Clark police activity from April 22 - 29, 2013: DUI April 27, 1:55 a.m. – In the vicinity of Westfield Avenue, police arrested David McCurrie, age 40, single, an electrician of 1617 Oliver Street in Rahway for DUI (driving under the influence). McCurrie was subsequently released pending a court date. Christian Lott was the arresting officer. Shoplifting April 26, 4:07 p.m. – At 76 Central Avenue, police arrested Aneisha Adams, age 35, married, a store clerk of 1212 East Henry Street in Linden for shoplifting at the ShopRite supermarket. Adams was subsequently released on her own recognizance pending a court date. Martin Venezio was the arresting officer. Under the Influence of a CDS, Outstanding Warrants April 26, 9:54 p.m. – In the …

• Photos (1)

Two New Officers Join Garwood PD

Andrew Horan and Christopher Czachorowski are lateral transfers from the Union County Sheriff's Department and Hudson County Sheriff's Department.

At Tuesday's Garwood Council meeting, two newly hired officers for the Garwood Police Department were sworn in.  Andrew Horan and Christopher Czachorowski are lateral transfers from the Union County Sheriff's Department and Hudson County Sheriff's Department, respectively. Horan lives in Kenilworth and served in the Army. Czachorowski lives in Clark and previously worked alongside his wife, Cheryl, who is a Sergeant with the Hudson County Sheriff's Department. 

• Photos (6)

Garwood Police Chief Talks South Avenue Paving, Thanks Residents for Their Patience

Chief Bruce Underhill says milling should take two days, followed by two days of paving, and then they will stripe.

This release was published by Garwood Police Chief Bruce Underhill on the Garwood Police Department website. Thank you for your patience and working with us during this hectic period.  We knew this was not going to be easy from the onset.  At the PCM (Pre-Construction Meeting) last year there was never any mention of shutting down the roadway entirely. As with past projects, it was expected that one lane would be left open in each direction while the other was being worked on.  The possibility of working at night was discussed, however this is not the Counties normal practice for their projects and we were told that work would be performed during the day.  Delays stagnated the project and Hurricane Sandy terminated it for the year 2012.  …

• Photos (1)