Police Department
Entry Level Announcement Police Department Recruitment - View Here
*Garfield Police Department Records Division Hours Effective January 1, 2024
Please be advised that beginning January 1, 2024, the Records Division’s operational hours will be as follows:
| Monday | 8:30AM - 5:00PM |
| Tuesday | 8:30AM - 5:00PM |
| Wednesday | 8:30AM - 5:00PM |
| Thursday | 8:30AM - 5:30PM |
| Friday | *CLOSED* |
Garfield City Hall will also follow the same hours.
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The Garfield Police Department is located at 411 Midland Ave., Garfield, NJ 07026 (non-emergency telephone number 973-478-8500) currently employees 66 Sworn Officers and 3 Record Room Clerks. The City of Garfield which is bordered by Elmwood Park, Saddle Book, Lodi, South Hackensack, Wallington, Passaic, and Clifton is a very diverse community which comes with a lot of challenges. Some of the challenges faced are language and cultural differences. In order to accommodate the community, the City of Garfield has hired bilingual Police Officers spread throughout the Patrol Shifts that speak Polish, Spanish, French, Italian, Macedonian, and Croatian.
Within the 66 Officers there are the following: 1 Chief, 4 Captains, 8 Lieutenants, 12 Sergeants, 8 Detectives, 3 Traffic Officers, and 30 Police Officers. Currently there are 8 Female Officers, two of which are Supervisors and two are Detectives.
The following divisions and units report directly to Chief of Police Richard Uram:
Community Affairs Division: Sgt. Jeffrey Stewart, Division Commander
Compliance Unit: Sgt. Claire Follari
Criminal Investigation Bureau: Capt. Joseph Delaney, Division Commander
Juvenile Services Bureau: Capt. Joseph Marsh, Division Commander
Internal Affairs: Lt. Thomas LaMantia Jr.
Operations Division: Capt. Ronald Bohannon, Division Commander
Patrol Division: Capt. Mario X. Pozo, Division Commander
Records Division: Lt. Nicolas Santillo, Division Commander
Supervisory Firearms Instructor: Lt. Gerald Wich
Training Coordinator: Lt. Anthony Koptyra
The Garfield Police Department has a Bicycle Squad, School Resource Officers, L.E.A.D. Instructors, Accident Investigators, Certified Community Noise Enforcement Officers, Resiliency Program Officers, and Humane Law Enforcement Officers.
The Police Vehicle Fleet consists of Chevrolet Tahoes, Dodge Durangos, Dodge Chargers, Ford Interceptors, a Ford Transit 250 Van, Ford Explorers, Ford Expedition, Ford Fusion Hybrids, a GMC Heavy Duty Pickup Truck, and a Mobile Command Bus.
New > Non-Emergency Online Incident Reporting
In an effort to better protect and serve the community, the City of Garfield Police Department started to accept some police reports online. If further information is required or the incident does not qualify for online reporting, an Officer will contact the complainant to follow up. Everyone is reminded to dial 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency and not to use for online reporting. In person reporting is still recommended for incidents not listed on the online reporting website.
Any person who believes that a police officer has violated the law, his/her rights, or the rights of another, may file a complaint. Please click Internal Affairs Complaint Forms listed below if you wish to file a complaint.
Click Here to Submit a Non-Emergency Online Incident Report
Wearable Video/Video Recorders
Vehicle Pursuit / Use of Force
City of Garfield Police Annual Diversity Summary (2023 Calendar Year)
Police Divisions
Community Affairs Division
The Community Affairs Division of the Garfield Police Department is dedicated to building positive relationships between the police and the community they serve. This division plays an essential role in creating a safe and secure environment for all members of the community by fostering trust and understanding between the police and the public.
The Community Affairs Division is responsible for a wide range of activities including but not limited:
Community policing, which involves the police working closely with community organizations and groups to address crime and safety concerns.
Community outreach, which includes organizing and participating in events and activities that promote positive interactions between the police and the community.
Crime prevention, which involves educating the public about how to prevent crime and stay safe.
Media relations, which includes working with local media outlets to provide information about the department's activities and policies.
Public relations, which includes responding to inquiries from the public, and working with community groups and organizations.
Neighborhood Watch events, which encourages community members to be vigilant and report suspicious activity to the police.
Recruitment, to ensure a diverse department for all members of the community that we serve.
Youth programs, which include mentoring, educational and recreational activities for young people.
The Community Affairs Division is committed to building a strong and positive relationship between the police and the community. They strive to be responsive to the needs of the community and to work collaboratively to create a safer and more secure environment for all. They work closely with other divisions within the department, as well as community organizations and foundations to ensure that the department's activities and policies reflect the needs and concerns of the community.
If you have any questions or concerns about the Community Affairs Division or the department's activities, please contact Sgt. Jeff Stewart at 973-478-8500 Ext. 4143. He will be happy to assist you. The Community Affairs Division is housed at the CAD Sub Station located at 159 Grand Street Garfield NJ.
Compliance Unit
The Compliance Unit monitors the departments accreditation and makes sure we are adhering to the policies and procedures set forth with being an accredited police department. The Compliance Unit maintains the departments policies and procedures via PowerDMS and preserves all of the personnel files for the entire department. Further the Compliance Unit works hand in hand with the City Manager and the finance department with the purchasing of necessary equipment, purchasing of police vehicles, payment for training classes, and the overall budgeting for the police department with the necessary and unexpected items needed to properly run the day to day operations of the police department. Since the completion of Police Headquarters, the Compliance Unit maintains the building and grounds and makes sure the necessary inspections, repairs, and modifications are completed in a timely manner and properly documented.
The Compliance Unit works in conjunction with the training coordinator to make sure all training is documented for each Officer, as well as their certificates are filed appropriately in their personnel files according to the accreditation standards. The training coordinator forwards all training requests that need payment to the Compliance Unit for final approval and payment.
The Compliance Unit also maintains and oversees over the contracts with outside vendors, making sure contracts are being followed and payments are being made in a timely manner. Lastly, the Compliance Unit monitors all asset and civil forfeiture throughout the year.
Criminal Investigation Division
The Garfield Police Department Criminal Investigation Division is headed by Capt. Joseph Delaney, and supervised by Lt. Thomas LaMantia Jr., Lt. Marc Amos, and Sgt. Robert Napolitano. The Juvenile Services Bureau is headed by Capt. Joseph Marsh and supervised by Lt. John Lesica. The Division is staffed with Detectives seven (7) days a week between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. The overnight hours are covered by an on-call Detective that will respond if there is an incident that requires any further investigation. The Criminal Investigation Division is comprised of three bureaus: Detective, Juvenile, and Internal Affairs.
- Detective Bureau: The Detective Bureau is assigned to investigate various crimes including, Homicide, Attempted Homicide, Sexual Assault, Armed Robbery, Robbery, Carjacking, Eluding, Burglary, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Possession of a Firearm, Possession of Certain Weapons, Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Aggravated Assault, Missing Persons, and any other crime which require further attention. The Bureau also conducts background investigations on Police Candidates seeking employment with the Police Department. The Detective Bureau is also responsible for the registration of Megan's Law sex offenders residing and/or working within the City of Garfield.
- Juvenile Services Bureau: The mission of the Garfield Police Department's Juvenile Services Bureau is to reduce youth delinquency and the acceptance of delinquent behaviors. Bureau members will provide guidance, service, education and support for the youth and families of our community. Bureau Officers will utilize the Community Policing Concept in the attendance and function at community and special events to enhance and increase community wellness. The Bureau will take necessary corrective disciplinary actions against youthful offenders to avoid recidivism of delinquency.
The Garfield Police Department’s Juvenile Services Bureau strives to enhance public relations with the community it serves. Under the Command of Capt. Joseph Marsh, the Bureau consists of two school resource officers (Detective Daniel Duleski – High School and Detective Rebecca Schmidt – Middle School). The Bureau delivers the L.E.A.D.S Program to all fifth graders in all public Elementary Schools on a yearly basis. Additional programs, assemblies, and special events are offered throughout the year in schools and in the community.
- Internal Affairs Bureau: The Internal Affairs Bureau accepts and investigates all complaints of alleged officer misconduct or wrongdoing from any internal agency, external agency, citizen and/or anonymous source(s). They are also responsible for reviewing every use of force incident, as well as all motor vehicular pursuits. The Division administers two random drug tests per year with ten (10) percent of the department. Internal Affairs is also responsible for keeping track of all corrective action and the early warning system. Some of these complaints are based on a lack of understanding on proper Police procedures, which are explained to every complainant in detail. The Garfield Police Department strives to maintain the highest degree of professionalism and welcomes comments from the public to the Internal Affairs Bureau.
Operations Division
The Operations Division is currently staffed by four uniformed officers and consists of the Traffic Division, School Crossing Guards and Parking Enforcement.
The Traffic Division of the Garfield Police Department’s objective is to enhance the safe and expeditious movement of traffic throughout the City of Garfield. This is achieved by way of the many avenues in traffic safety, which includes engineering, education and enforcement. Officers assigned to the Division are versed in all aspects of traffic safety and have completed numerous hours of training in an effort to achieve this objective. The officers in the Division also work closely with members of the Department of Public Works for maintenance of roadways and proper signage.
The duties and responsibilities of the officers in the Operations Division are very widespread. Their daily work not only involves their response to routine service related calls, such as everyday traffic complaints, motor vehicle collisions, enforcement of parking zones and radar enforcement, they also are the first back-up to the Patrol Division and their everyday emergency calls.
The officers assigned to the Operations Division also staff, manage and maintain the city’s School Crossing Guards and Parking Enforcement Officers. Additionally, the Division is in charge of officers working road construction and utility work, which requires the altering of traffic patterns, as well as police fleet management and maintenance.
The Operations Division is involved in the planning of all major events that occur within the City of Garfield. The Division also handles the requests for parking zones, including the issuance of Handicapped Parking Zones in front of residences. All requests for Parking Zones, Timed Parking, Loading Zones, etc. should be made in writing and submitted to the City Clerk’s Office. These requests will then be forwarded to the Operations Division for a survey and investigation.
Patrol Division
The City of Garfield Police Department’s Patrol Division is the largest division within the Dept and are the “First Responders” of the dept. The Patrol Division is tasked with answering calls for service 24 hours a day 365 days a year. The Patrol Division operates on 2 shifts and each shift is supervised by 2 Sergeants. A high priority for Patrol Officers is to conduct community policing throughout the city to form a bond with its residents and to hear any concerns that they may have. Officers also conduct radar enforcement posts and are well versed in detecting motorists who are operating vehicles while impaired due to drugs or alcohol.
Patrol Officers undergo extensive training in many facets of police work, such as Arrest, Search and Seizure Training, Stop the Bleed Training, De-escalation training, Taser, and Oleoresin Capsicum training, as well as various other specialized courses taught both in and outside of the dept.
Throughout their tour, the Officers proactively patrol the streets of the city looking for any possible criminal activity, while ensuring safety of our residents.
The Bicycle Unit of the Garfield Police Department, which is under the command of Sgt. Richy Mendez, operates from within the Patrol Division and is comprised of Officers who have gone through rigorous training in the use of police bicycles. The bicycle officers are deployed throughout the city and serve an important function in preventing crime as well its usefulness in the community policing function.
The Supervisors of the Patrol Division are as follows:
Patrol Division Commander:
Capt. Mario X. Pozo
Squad A Tour Commander: Squad B Tour Commander:
Lt. Gerald Wich – A Days Lt. William Houck
Lt. Raymund Bielski – A Nights
Squad A Day Shift Supervisors: Squad B Day Shift Supervisors:
Sergeant Pedro Gongora Sergeant Mariggi Lopez-Houck
Sergeant Radoslaw Kata Sergeant Daniel Pozo
Sergeant Dane Lio
Squad A Night Shift Supervisors: Squad B Night Shift Supervisors:
Sergeant David Pikul Sergeant Richy Mendez
Sergeant Daniel Drazek Sergeant Anthony Pizzi
Records Division
The Garfield Police Department Records Bureau handles all documentation of incoming and outgoing reports and records. All reports will be available after 5 business days. The Garfield Police Department only handles fingerprinting for City of Garfield future employees and does not fingerprint for immigration or education employment. Visit www.identogo.com or call (877) 503-5981, located at 85 Outwater Lane for fingerprinting questions.
Firearm applications are submitted online at Firearms Purchaser Identification Card and/or Handgun Purchase Permit (njportal.com).
The Garfield Police Department is complying with the New Open Public Record Act (OPRA) Law, which took effect on July 8th, 2022, that has gone into effect throughout the State of New Jersey. In order to obtain access to government records, including police reports, there are specific guidelines and exceptions that are listed in detail by accessing the following link https://www.nj.gov/grc/public/citizens/.
Crash Reports can be obtained by visiting https://www.crashdocs.org/ and are available 5-7 business days after the incident.
For any questions regarding the New Open Public Record act, please contact the Records Division at 973-478-8500 X5050 between the hours of 8:30AM-4:00PM, Monday thru Friday (closed on Holidays).