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“In order to continue the department's tremendous success, we must prepare for the future,” Mayor Glen Jasionowski said. “By hiring the best available police officers and promoting our most talented leaders, we have paved the way for a successful future.”
The moves come on the heels of several recent and upcoming retirements of long-time department members.
“This is a very exciting time for us,” Police Chief William Giordano said. “We are bidding farewell to five brother and sister officers as they enter retirement and simultaneously welcoming six new, outstanding members.
“At the same time, we are promoting six highly qualified current officers to lead our department and continue moving forward.”
Those promoted:
Capt. Sean G. Scheidle joined the River Vale Police Department in 1994. He's been a patrol officer, detective, detective sergeant and detective lieutenant.
His duties include being the Internal Affairs officer, training and hiring officer. Scheidle has also served as the Office of Emergency Management coordinator since 2008.
Scheidle, who earned Associate and Bachelor degrees in Criminal Justice, has attended various training and is a graduate of the Mid-Atlantic Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar and the New Jersey Association of Chiefs of Police Command and Leadership Academy.
Among the awards received during his 23 years of service, he was honored by PBA Local 206 with the Investigative Service Award for an incident in 2001 that led to the arrest of a drug dealer in a school zone and the seizure of approximately 11 pounds of marijuana.
Lt. Christopher T. Bulger was born and raised in River Vale and joined the department in 1998. He was promoted to sergeant in 2009.
Bulger earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Rhode Island. His duties include being a field training, training officer and warrant and scheduling officer.
Bulger has attended various training, including the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area course, Certified Drug Recognition Expert program. He's also a graduate of the Mid-Atlantic Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar.
Among the awards received during his 20 years of service, Bulger was honored by PBA Local 206 with the Exceptional Duty Medal for an incident in 2010 that led to the arrest of a DWI suspect who had struck and killed a pedestrian in Jersey City and then fled the scene.
Lt. John J. DeVoe joined the River Vale Police Department in 1998 after serving with the Seaside Heights Police Department for two years. He was assigned to the Detective Bureau in 2001 and promoted to the rank of detective sergeant in 2009.
DeVoe earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a Master of Arts degree in Human Resource Training and Development from Seton Hall University.
His duties include being the department's public information officer and Junior Police Academy coordinator -- which he founded in 2000. DeVoe also is a senior investigator with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit.
He has served as president of the local Detective Bureau Association since 2010 and is a past president of the Bergen County Juvenile Officers Association.
DeVoe has attended various training, including the FBI National Academy, the Mid-Atlantic Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar, and the New Jersey Association of Chiefs of Police Command and Leadership Academy.
Among the awards received during his 20 years of service, DeVoe was honored by the North Jersey Regional Crime Prevention Officers Association in 2013 as Detective of the Year.
Sgt. Peter E. Martin joined the River Vale Police Department in 1995 and was assigned to the Detective Bureau in 2010. He earned an Associate degree in Criminal Justice from Bergen Community College.
Martin's duties have included being the department’s senior firearms instructor, evidence technician and records retention officer.
Martin has served as president and state delegate of Pascack Valley PBA Local 206, representing approximately 180 local police officers of the second-largest PBA local in Bergen County.
He has attended various training, including the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area course and the New Mexico Tech SWAT / Anti-Terrorism program.
Among the awards received during his 22 years of service, Martin was honored by Pascack Valley PBA Local 206 in 2014 with the Meritorious Service Award for an incident in which he and other officers subdued an emotionally disturbed woman who was armed with a knife.
Sgt. A. Dino Dinelli joined the River Vale Police Department in 1999 after having worked as a police officer for the Stevens Institute of Technology Police Department for three years.
His duties include being a member of the Tactical Unit, which he created, a field training officer and a firearms instructor. He is also a long-time instructor with the Junior Police Academy.
In 2001, Dinelli launched the department’s first Motorcycle Unit by coordinating training and facilitating the donation of two motor units.
He has attended various trainings, including the Maryland State Police Motor Officer course and the New Mexico Tech SWAT / Anti-Terrorism program.
Among the awards received during his 18 years of service, Dinelli was honored by Pascack Valley PBA Local 206 in 2001 with the Meritorious Service Award for an incident in which he and other officers rescued a man who was trapped in a fiery crash.
Sgt. Joshua S. Wisse joined the River Vale Police Department in 2012 after graduating from the Camden County Police Academy as an alternate route candidate.
Wisse earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Rutgers University and is close to completion of his Master of Administrative Science degree in Administrative Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
His duties include being a field training officer, traffic officer, and an instructor with the Junior Police Academy. Josh also runs the annual River Vale Police Officers Association Golf Outing.
Wisse has attended various training, including the Rutgers Practical Traffic Engineering program and the Desert Snow Drug Interdiction course.
Among the awards received during his nearly six years of service, Wisse was honored by the Knights of Columbus with the Shield Award in 2015, naming him Officer of the Year.
Two recent new officers both come from Little Ferry:
Officer Michael G. Defilippis graduated from the Bergen County Law & Public Safety Institute in December 2017 as an alternate route candidate with Class #119. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Justice from Rowan University.
Defilippis previously served as a Class 1 Special Law Enforcement Officer and a dispatcher with the Little Ferry Police Department from July 2016 through January 2018.
Officer Michael T. Monforte graduated from the Bergen County Law & Public Safety Institute in December 2017 as an alternate route candidate with Class #119. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Kean University.
Monforte previously served as a Class 1 Special Law Enforcement Officer with the Little Ferry Police Department from July 2016 through January 2018.
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