BY MICHAEL OLOHAN
OF PASCACK PRESS
PASCACK VALLEY AREA, N.J.—Three Pascack Valley police departments—Montvale, River Vale, and Woodcliff Lake—are changing chiefs to begin 2019, as longtime department leaders retire or are about to retire.
The new top cops are Chief Joseph Sanfilippo in Montvale, Chief John Burns in Woodcliff Lake, and Capt. Sean Scheidle in River Vale.
Montvale’s new chief
Sanfilippo replaced Chief Jeremy Abrams, who retired Dec. 31, 2018 after serving Montvale for 32 years, including a decade as chief. Sanfilippo began his career with the Montvale Police Department in December 1986.
He was a patrol officer until he made detective in 1998. In 2010, Sanfilippo was promoted to sergeant, then lieutenant. In December 2013 he was promoted to captain. He served in that capacity until his promotion to chief effective Jan. 1.
Sanfilippo said the department will add a full-time traffic officer by Feb. 1 “to address areas of town where we are hearing complaints about speeding, careless driving, etc.,” he wrote Pascack Press.
He said the department would set up an email address for residents to report driving issues and that Montvale bought two semi-permanent signs to be deployed where speeding is a problem.
Sanfilippo said the department is starting a “Community Camera” program, a voluntary effort to get residents and businesses to register their security cameras.
“This will enable us to have a contact list of individuals willing to provide us with footage from their systems in the event of a crime in the area,” Sanfilippo said.
The new chief said he swore in three new police officers Jan. 7, bringing the department’s roster to 25 officers. He said interviews for a now-vacant captain position will begin later this month.
He said plans include the borough’s first Junior Police Academy for middle school students and an expanded social media presence, including more Facebook postings and a newly started Instagram account, to keep residents informed.
“We all thank Chief Abrams for his dedication and service to the town. Capt. Joseph Sanfilippo is our new chief of police and we are confident that he will carry the torch and continue the progress and maintain the safety and order in the town,” said Mayor Michael Ghassali.
River Vale promoting Scheidle
Giordano sent a moving letter to residents thanking them for allowing him to serve and recalling an officer’s critical role to “interact with people in times of vulnerability, crisis and need.”
River Vale Police Chief William Giordano is retiring Feb. 1 after nearly 29 years with the department—including three-plus years as chief.
“You are called when people have been victimized. You are called when a loved one dies. Depending on the call, you need to be a therapist, a parent, a protector, a medic. I have seen the best of society and its worst,” Giordano wrote residents.
He said certain highlights stand out in a long career in law enforcement including comforting a family who minutes earlier had lost their father to a heart attack on Father’s Day; evacuating people from flooded homes, burning homes and homes where trees crashed through a roof during a storm.
“You quickly learn to bottle your initial emotions for the sake of people in pain and help them process their experience to move forward,” Giordano said.
He added that he had many “joyous moments” including witnessing a baby’s birth, returning a lost pet and playing ball with neighborhood kids.
“It’s a real bittersweet thing,” Giordano told Pascack Press Jan 9. He said he was touched to hear from the daughter of a father who passed away and whose family he helped comfort.
He said she asked to attend his final day of service, officially Jan. 28, when a ceremonial walk-out and final radio sign-off occurs.
Over the years, Giordano also took part in police task force efforts to halt the so-called “James Bond burglary ring” where criminals used high-performance vehicles to outrun and outfox police; initiate a drone surveillance and patrol force featuring two state of the art drones; and hired eight new police officers and oversaw promotions of seven officers.
Giordano said he helped bring information technology first to the police department in early 1990s, adding computers and implementing computer aided dispatch and records management system.
He also oversaw integration of computers in police vehicles about 10 years ago and helped lead the department into the digital age by putting more police alerts and updates on social media.
He also helped implement townwide alerts via Nixle, an electronic communications system installed to communicate emergency conditions to residents.
Giordano said that Captain Sean Scheidle will take over Feb. 1 as police chief following his departure.
“He’ll be an asset to the town,” Giordano said Jan 10.
Scheidle joined the department in 1994, worked four years as a patrol officer, and was promoted to the Detective Bureau in 1998.
He was promoted to sergeant in 2001 and continued in the Detective Bureau until 2009, when he made lieutenant. He was promoted to captain in February 2018.
Scheidle said the swearing-in ceremony will be at the Feb. 11 Borough Council meeting.
He said with eight new officer hires recently, “We’ve got a young, energetic department.” He added that he anticipates offering more training for officers in firearms investigation and emergency management operations as well as new community policing initiatives.
Other 2019 department outreach efforts likely include getting more involved with schools, offering more events/speakers for seniors, and possibly deploying the two drones acquired for stealth surveillance and security.
“My goal is to keep building on the department’s past successes. The residents have been very good to us and we are a service-oriented department and will continue to serve our residents,” he said.
Burns takes the reins in Woodcliff Lake
On Dec. 31, 2018, after 41 years of service as a member of Woodcliff Lake’s police department and many years as top law enforcement officer, Chief Anthony Janicelli retired and was replaced by Lt. John Burns, the top internal candidate to replace the chief and selected by a two-person council screening committee.
An official swearing-in ceremony for Burns is likely at an upcoming meeting, Mayor Carlos Rendo told Pascack Press.
“Chief Burns earned the position. He is a consummate professional and he has been involved with Woodcliff Lake police force for years and passed the screening committee and the recommendation was unanimous,” Rendo said following the Jan. 7 reorganization meeting.
Burns begins his 31st year with the department as its new chief, having served as a patrol officer, sergeant, and lieutenant.
Burns said the will continue to partner with schools and corporate partners to provide and enhance security and safety. He said he hopes to expand community policing efforts and outreach to seniors as well as pedestrian safety efforts.
Burns said working with developers where possible to improve walking paths and sidewalks and seeking county and state grants for safety improvements were a priority.
In a message to residents, Burns said he was committed to providing the highest quality of service to those who live and work in Woodcliff Lake.
“We have to continued to build on our programs…in order to provide a proactive approach to law enforcement,” he said.
Burns said a community sector policing program continues to draw media and nationwide attention and that he plans to be on the cutting edge of training, equipment and personnel.
