The Florham Park Police Department would like to congratulate Ryan Cassidy, Matthew Liberato and Nicholas Cotterell, who graduated from the Morris County Police Academy yesterday.  Our newest officers will begin their Field Training and service to the Borough this weekend.  Please give them a Florham Park welcome when you see them out with their training officers!!

Residents and Businesses, 

We are pleased to announce the arrest of a criminal who burglarized two businesses in our town in November of 2021.  On 11/21/21 Officers took reports from a convenience store, on Columbia Turnpike, and a local eatery, in a nearby shopping center, reporting they were burglarized overnight.  Detective Frank Pietropinto began the investigation and obtained valuable evidence immediately.  He quickly learned that other Morris County towns, as well as many Bergen County towns, were victimized by the same suspect and suspect vehicle.  Through various investigative techniques, Detective Pietropinto obtained a suspect license plate and, not long after, was able to identify a suspect tied to that vehicle and our crimes. 

Over the course of several months numerous agencies worked together, each taking on a different responsibility in evidence collection, in order to put together the strongest case for all those communities involved.  After months of investigating, the suspect, Mr. Kenneth Cook, age 48 from Newark, NJ was arrested and lodged in the Bergen County Jail.  Mr. Cook was criminally charged with two counts each of burglary, theft, and criminal mischief specifically related to our Florham Park victims.  He remains lodged, in the Bergen County Jail, on all charges from Florham Park and additional jurisdictions.

There are two points I would like to note in regards to our investigations.  First, we are keenly aware of victim belief that Police Investigations “take so long.”  It’s true, they often do, and we sympathize with that, however, there’s usually good reason.  Our investigators spend countless hours to prove they have put together the strongest case possible, in an effort to ensure convictions in Court.  This is not only to hold those responsible accountable for their actions, but to ensure justice is served to our victims.  Second, as with our need to collaborate with the public, in helping us keep the Borough safe, we would not be as successful in clearing cases without the collaboration of other law enforcement agencies working together for a common cause, which adds significant time to investigative efforts. Please know that while the wheels of justice may appear to be moving slow at times, we are pursuing the criminal element with committed dedication for the benefit of our residents and the community. 

Please, see the release below for your reference on this matter.

Joseph J. Orlando
Chief of Police
June 7, 2022

Residents,

 We just responded to two vehicles stolen, one from Crescent Road and the other from the center business district.  We’re currently searching for a potential third stolen vehicle from the Summit Medical Group complex.  The two confirmed stolen vehicles were left unlocked with the keys inside the vehicle.  Click the following link - https://fb.watch/dm7ZlZNLvC/ - to see a portion of the video captured during last week’s pursuit of a stolen motor vehicle and the suspect vehicle that drove the criminals to our Borough.  Upon watching this video you will see patrol vehicles attempt to prevent the driver from fleeing while leaving them an avenue of escape.  This is a requirement of the Pursuit Policy, officers must provide fleeing vehicles an avenue of escape.  Officers who violate the pursuit guidelines are held accountable for those violations and can also be held liable criminally and/or civilly for damages or injuries resulting from their violations of the policy.

 I am posting this video so residents can see the dangers our officers and our community are placed in, by allowing these criminals to victimize our neighborhoods, by failing to adhere to our repeated warnings.  Furthermore, our officers are placed into split second decision making processes which are scrutinized after the fact, by several layers of oversight making the incident that much more stressful for the officers.

 This may be beautiful Florham Park, but there are dangerous people that travel through this Borough on a daily basis.  Failing to prevent victimization through easily achieved crime prevention measures invites these dangerous criminals into our Borough continuously.  I ask all residents to view this video and think of all the horrible outcomes that could have resulted from this incident and how easily the entire situation could have been avoided if you would simply lock your home and your vehicle.

 Joseph J. Orlando
Chief of Police
May 31, 2022

Click here to sign up for the new community alert notification system

AlertFlorhamPark will allow you to get emergency notifications in any manner you choose, including phone, email, text, or social media, so you can stay informed during major storms or other emergencies taking place in Florham Park or throughout Morris County. Users have the ability to enter multiple addresses located in multiple jurisdictions within a single profile. If you care for a loved one who lives in another Morris County town and want to be notified of issues affecting that person’s municipality, your one registration process will satisfy that need.

AlertFlorhamPark also offers a free Smart911 signup option for county residents, providing a greatly enhanced and potentially lifesaving 9-1-1 emergency call service for anyone who registers for it.

Smart911 is FREE, and your information is secure, accessible only to a 9-1-1 call taker. This service can provide key information to responders that can make your family safer. For example:

• Address Details: How to access your home, number of bedrooms, location of utility shut-offs, and if you live in a multi-family building;
• Family Details: Number of residents, ages, photos of children, and your landline and mobile phone numbers;
• Medical Information: Medical conditions of certain residents, medications taken/required, allergies, mobility of residents, and if special equipment is needed in an emergency;
• Animals: A list of your pets, service animals and livestock, and their names so responders are aware of them as they enter your home. Also, include the name of your veterinarian;
• Emergency Contacts: Family members, friends or neighbors to be contacted in case of an emergency;
• Vehicles: Make, model and license plate number in case of a motor vehicle accident.

Residents can offer as much or as little information to first responders through Smart911 as they wish.