The Hoboken City Council will consider adding 20 new police officers to establish a Community Policing Bureau, a concept Mayor Ravi Bhalla mentioned during his final State of the City Address last night.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Ensuring the safety and well-being of our residents is my top priority, and the launch of the Community Policing Bureau reflects our commitment to fostering stronger relationships between our officers and the community they serve,” Bhalla said in a statement.
“I thank Councilman Joe Quintero for working with my administration on legislation to allow for us to hire these additional officers for this division so Chief Aguiar can bring back more foot patrols, not just in our parks and on our waterfront, but throughout the City. I look forward to seeing the positive impact this bureau will have in making Hoboken an even safer and more connected city.”
An ordinance to add 20 more officers to the department’s Table of Organization (TO) to staff the unit will be introduced for City Council consideration in April. This comes after the TO was increased from 146 to 156 at the end of last year, as HCV first reported.
If approved by the council, the bureau would begin operations in 2026.
“We have heard from residents who say they feel unsafe walking through our parks, even during the day,” added Public Safety Director Kenneth Ferrante.
“The Community Policing Bureau will have officers in your neighborhoods, 16 hours a day, seven days a week, to create an environment where you not only feel safer, but you are even safer than you are today.”
In that event, the Hoboken PD will seek a variety of funding sources including the COPS Hiring Program (CHP), which provides federal grant monies to law enforcement agencies looking to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.
“We are proud of our accomplishments in recent years, especially the PD’s significant increase in clearance rates, but we know residents want more from their police department,” noted Chief Steven Aguiar.
“This program will boost police presence throughout the streets and parks, improving visibility and reassuring residents that they are safe in their community.”
In a statement, 2nd Ward Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher, a candidate for mayor, questioned if the city could handle such a financial commitment at this time.
“Investing in community policing is important, which is why I pushed for the 10 additional officers we’ve already added. But this is more politics than public safety,” she said.
“Mayor Bhalla has delayed his last budget while making costly commitments with one foot out the door. Public safety matters, but so does fiscal responsibility—right now, he’s giving away the city’s future for political gain, leaving taxpayers to pay the price.”
Last week, the Hoboken City Council approved an eight-year contract with the policemen’s benevolent association (PBA), which another mayoral candidate, Dini Ajmani, said would cost the city an additional $22 million in salaries alone in an editorial published today.