Delran Law & Order/Police/Fire/Emergency & 9-1-1 Dispatchers Articles

Philadelphia Inquirer - December 6, 1970

Source: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19866970/delran_twins/

Police Union In Delran Calls For An Arbitrator

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20151225194634/http://articles.philly.com/1986-01-05/news/26052983_1_pension-fund-patrol-officers-township

By Nicole Brodeur, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: January 05, 1986

The Delran Patrolmen's Association has called for the appointment of an arbitrator in a renewed effort to resolve an unsettled portion of its 1985 contract with the township.

William Pfeffer, association president and a patrol officer, said last week that the association had filed for binding arbitration about a proposed transfer of the pension fund after negotiations broke off on Dec. 6 without a settlement.

At that meeting on Dec. 6 - the date on which the association had expected completion of the transfer of the pension fund from the state Public Employees Retirement System to the Police and Firemen's Retirement System - the township offered a 3 percent salary increase retroactive to Jan. 1, 1985.

Talks on the portion of the contract began after legislation that would have transferred the pension fund was not approved by the Legislature by Nov. 1, the deadline contained in the 1985 contract. That contract expired Dec. 31.

The transfer of the pension fund would have allowed officers to retire at age 55 or after 20 years of service - they now retire at age 60 - and would have provided additional benefits, according to Mayor Richard J. Knight. It also would have cost employees twice what they now contribute to the pension fund, and the township an additional $35,000 a year.

The one-year 1985 contract, approved in March, granted patrol officers a 5 percent salary increase retroactive to Jan. 1 and an extra personal day. It also stipulated that the association could seek to transfer the pension fund.

Knight said the transfer could be approved through a referendum by township voters or through passage of a measure in the Legislature.

But the bill never made it out of committee in the Assembly, according to township solicitor Thomas P. Foy, also a Democratic assemblyman from Burlington County.

Foy said the bill, sponsored by state Sen. Daniel J. Dalton (D., Camden), failed because it "provided something special for a single municipality."

Knight also said the township would attempt to make up for the failure of the legislation by reopening the 1985 contract and negotiating an additional, retroactive wage increase. That increase would include payment for overtime.

But Pfeffer called the 3 percent increase offered by the township "a slap in the face."

Pfeffer said the association was disappointed not only that the transfer legislation did not pass, but that the township did not lobby harder for the bill. "The township never made an effort to put this through," he said. ''They never pushed hard enough, they backed away."

Pfeffer said the association, which represents 14 patrol officers, one detective and three sergeants, approached the township with a counteroffer on the retroactive increase a week after the Dec. 6 negotiating session, but got no response.

"We told the mayor that we were willing to negotiate and move if they were willing to, but they completely stonewalled us," he said.

Pfeffer said that once the arbitrator was appointed, the association planned to push for an 8 percent retroactive salary increase. He said that the police were at the bottom of the township list in salary increases and that he feared that the association's members would fall far below the police salary scales of surrounding communities.

The five-step pay scale for Delran patrol officers ranges from a $15,719 starting salary to $24,127 after five years. Salary increases are annual.

"Every year, we have to go through the same thing to catch up somewhat" with other townships, Pfeffer said.

"We would love to see the township adjust the police salary scale," he said.

Pfeffer said the township's four full-time police dispatchers received a 23.5 percent salary increase - about $3,000 - this year.

"We are not asking for anything near that," Pfeffer said.

Knight said the 1985 contract also included increased disability coverage, from $200 to $250 a week, as well as the legislative action and the promise to go back to the bargaining table if the action was not passed.

Knight said the employees would have to pay 15 percent of their salaries in pension fees to the Police and Firemen's Retirement System fund - double the 7.5 percent they pay for the Public Employees Retirement System. Of that additional $35,000 a year the township would have to pay, he said, "It mortgages the future. Because of that added cost, that's why it became part of the negotiations."

He said that, with the legislation dead, he did not know whether the township would consider a referendum on the transfer in the 1986 contract negotiations.

"If it's part of 1986 (negotiations), well, it might be and it might not be," the mayor said. "My feeling right now is that it will not be."

Pfeffer said that under state law, the mayor was required to set a date for contract negotiations with the association 150 days before presenting the 1986 budget to the council. Knight said last week that he planned to present the budget to the council on Jan. 15 and Pfeffer said that he had yet to hear from the mayor.

Knight said that he planned to be in touch with the association this week and that he had been delayed by preparations for the arrival of township administrator Matthew Watkins.

But the association's relationship with the township has been aggravated. If things do not improve, Pfeffer said, association members will use every legal job action they could to ensure better treatment, including picketing the township building and council members' homes.

In Delran, Police On 3 Shifts Call In Sick

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20151019141631/http://articles.philly.com/1986-01-08/news/26053678_1_pension-fund-township-officials-shift

By Nicole Brodeur, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: January 08, 1986

Reports of a "blue flu" that had each shift of the Delran Township Police Department call in sick at least once last month will be met with no action by township officials.

Mayor Richard J. Knight last week called the incidents a sickout and said that they were spurred by the stalemated 1985 contract renegotiations with the Delran Police Association last month and by the fact that negotiations for a 1986 contract have yet to be scheduled.

"It doesn't upset me at all. I'm pleased to see that the union is together," Knight said.

The mayor said the first of three incidents occurred Dec. 13, when all five members of the 4 p.m.-midnight shift called in sick. Knight said three off- duty officers were called in to replace them and received overtime pay.

Three days later, all five members of the 8 a.m.-4 p.m. shift called in sick and were replaced by Police Chief David Banff and two lieutenants. The same routine was followed on Dec. 21, when the five-member, midnight-to-8 a.m. shift called in sick.

"Each shift has had their turn," Knight said.

But Patrol Officer William Pfeffer, the association's president and representative in the contract talks, denied the mayor's allegation that the incidents were planned and were in response to the failed - or lack of - contract talks.

"We don't go along with any job action that's illegal," Pfeffer said of the association's members, who include 14 patrolmen, a detective and three sergeants.

When asked whether he had called in sick on one of the three days cited by the mayor, Pfeffer said, "I think I did."

Last week, the association called for the appointment of an arbitrator in an effort to resolve an unsettled portion of the 1985 contract with the township.

The arbitrator was requested when renegotiations broke down after the state Legislature failed to act on a bill that would have increased benefits for police officers in a few scattered departments statewide.

The bill, which never got out of an Assembly committee, would have transferred the police pension fund from the state Public Employees Retirement System to the Police and Firemen's Retirement System.

It would have allowed officers to retire at age 55 or after 20 years of service - they now retire at age 60 - and would have provided other benefits, according to Knight.

The transfer also would have cost employees twice what they now contribute to the pension fund - about 7 percent of their salaries - and the township an additional $35,000 a year.

Negotiators in Delran had hoped for approval by Nov. 1, and had set that date as the deadline for the 1985 contract.

In renegotiations Dec. 6, the association expected the pension-fund transfer and a 3 percent salary increase; township officials offered only a salary increase, retroactive to Jan. 1, 1985. The increase would have given the association a total increase of 8 percent for the year.

But the association said the offer was a "slap in the face" and expressed disappointment that the township had not lobbied harder for the legislation.

Pfeffer said that when the association and the township returned to the bargaining table, the officers would ask for an 8 percent increase over the 5 percent they received in March.

Pfeffer said that last weekend there was movement toward renegotiations on the 1985 contract and that the association was determined to receive the 8 percent increase.

"Settlement depends on what is proposed," he said. "If there is no agreement, then we are right back where we started. But we hope this is not the last and final meeting."

Pfeffer said the association recently suggested three dates to Knight when the 1986 contract could be negotiated. The mayor has yet to get back to the association on those dates, he said.

Under the state law, the mayor is required to set a date for contract negotiations with the association 150 days before presenting the 1986 budget to the council. Knight said last week that he planned to present the budget to the council on Jan. 15.

The present five-step pay scale in effect for Delran patrol officers ranges from a $15,719 starting salary to $24,127 after five years, with increases occurring annually.

The Long Road Toward Joining Police Forces

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20160102113435/http://articles.philly.com/1986-01-12/news/26054364_1_police-departments-local-police-municipalities

By Charlie Frush, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: January 12, 1986

At least five times in the last dozen years, clusters of neighboring communities in New Jersey have officially discussed starting joint police forces. Four times they investigated the idea. Four times they said no.

In the fifth instance, two North Jersey municipalities actually created a joint police department - the only such consortium in state history history - and it lasted four years.

Now, a sixth group of communities is considering a regional police force. Officials of Beverly, Delanco and Edgewater Park last month passed resolutions asking the state to study the feasibility of a single police force to serve all three municipalities.

There is a reason the idea of regional police departments is continually raised: money. Tax revenue is always difficult to raise, especially in older, heavily developed communities with little room to expand. And police and public safety are usually the largest part of any municipal budget.

Because municipal money problems are not likely to disappear soon, some local officials wonder why the concept of regional police departments is so difficult to sell. There are plenty of reasons given, especially from the ranks of law enforcement. Every police officer contacted for this article said he believed that municipal officials rarely inform uniformed officers before embarking on a regional police study.

The police complain that their insight and expertise are never sought, which they consider a serious oversight. Some officials believe that it is the failure to win the support of the local police, coupled with the traditional home-rule fervor in local government, that has doomed virtually all regionalization proposals.

Typical was the comment of Chief Gerald Mingin, of Eastampton Township, whose department was studied in the early 1970s for possible merger with the police departments of Hainesport, Lumberton, Mount Holly and Westampton Townships.

"One of the problems was, they did not ask the police," Mingin said, ''either to confront them or to ask their support. . . . The study was done solely by politicians."

Mingin said that in the state study of that possible merger, "It was learned that the cost would be more, with fewer officers per shift, and at that, Lumberton and Westampton withdrew."

Because the remaining three municipalities were still interested, Mingin said, "former Mount Holly Township manager Robert Casey realigned the study and there were a number of meetings, including public meetings. And again, the costs were higher and there were less police employed per shift."

Placed on the ballot, each of the three communities voted the issue down overwhelmingly, Mingin said.

The impact of consolidation on cost and service are the keys in such studies, said Ralph Franciosi, a member of the township committee in Edgewater Park. Franciosi said he would be willing to try to "sell" a joint venture to the citizenry "if it shows we don't decrease service and if we do decrease the tax dollars spent."

After school taxes, Franciosi said, "the next highest expenditure is the police force. My suggestion is that maybe we can consolidate some of these services and buying powers . . . see if we can shave off some thousands (of dollars) here and there to make our tax rate more compatible with the people living in the township. Townships in proximity can have (joint) road service and police service and cut down on the equipment. Why duplicate?"

Many municipal officials insist that consolidation can save money. James Mash, the township administrator and treasurer, and for 18 years the police chief, in New Hanover, said the township's agreement to provide police protection for tiny Wrightstown borough, in force for eight years, has worked ''very well. It has cut down a lot of unnecessary overhead. We don't need two (headquarters) buildings, two chiefs, two secretaries. We don't need double the amount of cars. Between the both of us, we've saved a lot of money."

There is a difference, however, between buying protection from a neighboring police force and abolishing one's own department to merge it with another. According to a 1967 study by the President's Commission of Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice, "the desire of municipalities to retain and exercise all of the powers of local government" is the main reason why consolidation proposals are consistently defeated.

The report said fears of the loss of local autonomy "tend to be among the most formidable for the police, principally because police service is generally among the most local of governmental services and because even the smallest local governmental jurisdictions like to believe that they can provide at least minimal needed police service."

Franciosi said that in Edgewater Park, clinging to autonomy in law enforcement is not consistent with other township services. "If they're talking about home rule, well, we don't have our own fire department, we don't have our own high school," Franciosi added. Fire protection in Edgewater Park is provided by the Beverly fire companies, and the township sends its students to Burlington High School.

Even some police officials who have reservations about the methodology of forging a joint department do not deny the possible benefits.

George Moyer, Bordentown Township chief of police and president of the Burlington County Police Chiefs Association, said the group did not have a viewpoint on consolidation because the question had never been formally put before it.

But speaking personally, he said, "I'm for it. I think it makes economic sense," especially where adjacent communities are all staffed by part-time officers.

Moyer also faulted elected officials for the common failure to discuss the issues with their police. "I think police officers would like to have some sort of input, because they're the people on the street encountering the problems," he said.

This year's study for Beverly, Delanco and Edgewater Park, expected to take six months, is the second for the three communities. They were in a 1979 study that originally included Delran and Riverside. Delran pulled out before things got serious, however, and in November 1979, voters in three of the four remaining communities defeated by substantial margins a referendum question on a joint police force. Only in Beverly did the question pass, by a vote of 301-230. But in Delanco it was defeated 613-379, in Edgewater Park 845-750 and in Riverside 781-526.

Another study, done for six communities on Long Beach Island, Ocean County, in 1983-84, also came to naught.

"Long Beach Island was a good prospect (for regionalization)," said Bill Struwe, of the state's Division of Local Government Services, which will conduct the Beverly-Delanco-Edgewater Park study. "It's 19 miles long and a half-mile wide." But, Struwe said, the governing bodies did nothing to lobby for the regional force, even though five of the six had asked for the study. Struwe attributed the proposal's defeat to citizen pressure and reluctance to surrender autonomy.

Beverly, Delran and Edgewater Park, Struwe said, are "geographically perfect for this. The towns are close together, the area is small and there are no particularly unusual problems in one community as opposed to another."

Struwe warned that if the heads of the local governments "want to sell it, they're going to have to sell it to the people if they're going to put it on a referendum."

Struwe said the division's study would include public meetings in each community. Although no proposals will be put before citizens at those meetings - he said, "We won't even be well into the study" at that point - Struwe said the agency wanted "to get input on how they feel the police services are, how they ought to be, how they feel about regionalization."

In addition to the political difficulties of forming a regional force, there are organizational problems. The normal procedure for forming a joint police force is for each community to pass an ordinance abolishing its present police department and then to adopt a new ordinance establishing the joint venture.

Because Beverly, Delanco and Edgewater Park already have their own chiefs, only one of the three could be chosen as chief of the new joint force. The others would have to become captains, an approach suggested in the 1979 study of the five communities. There are also other problems to be solved. The police pension plans in the three communities, for example, are administered by two different state agencies.

There would be start-up expenditures for items such as new insignias on uniforms and patrol cars, creation or modification of a headquarters and an entirely new table of organization into which the various officers would have to be melded.

Delanco has seven full-time officers, Edgewater Park has 13 and Beverly four. Part-time or so-called special officers help complete staffing in each town.

Job security appears to be a prime concern of the police. Although the 1979 study suggested that "no police officers in any of the existing police departments should lose his job," it also pointed out that the state's 1973 Interlocal Services Act did not "mandate that present police officers employed by the five municipalities be appointed to the regional force."

Still, some local officials point out what could be benefits for the officers. Beverly Mayor Frank Costello said that with regionalization, "there certainly will be more opportunity with a large department for some of the young fellows to move up, particularly in the areas of specialization. We don't need a detective in Beverly at present, but if we had the three departments mingled, I'm sure there would be a recommendation for this." He said there might also be recommendations for specialized jobs like photographic expert or investigator.

As for the current chiefs and local police in the three communities, opinion on a regional force varies.

"The (three) chiefs have worked their way up from nothing," said Gene DiFilippo, 42, who has been chief for three years in Beverly and on the force for 13. "I even started part time. I sure wouldn't be willing to give that up and I think the rest of the guys feel the same way. To be honest, I feel I have done my job and don't have to worry about it. And so have my men."

In Delanco, Robert Raber, 43, chief for the last five years, said he was worried about how a single regional police force would deal with what he perceives as a difference in community lifestyles.

"I'm looking at it from Delanco's side," he said. "I feel Beverly and Edgewater Park have a lot to gain and we have a lot to lose. I mean the town itself, not the policemen. Delanco is sort of a laid-back community. The Delanco police department does a lot of service to the community that others do not.

"Beverly is very undermanned, so it's almost impossible for them to give the service to the people that we give because they devote all their time to street calls. Edgewater Park has a bigger police department, but has a more complex problem because of businesses and (covering) Route 130. Also, they're shorthanded for the size of their community.

"All the men here feel that Delanco is going to come up on the short end unless they (the joint force) hire more people," Raber said, "because more of Delanco's strength would be devoted to Beverly and Edgewater Park."

Raber said he believed that when regionalization did come, it would not be in the form of a single force for the three communities. "I feel that somewhere down the line, it's going to happen," Raber said, "but I feel it's going to happen on a county scale, not a local scale. I feel we are at least 10 to 12 years off."

Raber's fears about the dilution of the strength of the current individual departments was shared by David Banff, Delran's chief. "We were the biggest department (in the 1979 study)," he said. "We had the most men, the most cars, and we felt very strongly that we would be shorting our residents by spreading our patrols out. Our mayor (at the time, Lorraine Schmierer) and council . . . felt we'd get the short end of it in the long run."

Joseph Baranoski, 48, Edgewater Park police chief since 1972, also has reservations.

"I think the concept of regionalization is fantastic, but the way they're going about it is all wrong," he said. "They're looking at it financially, but if you look at it logistically . . . I cannot foresee any initial savings. . . . To me, it's going to be an (added) expense.

"I've got 12 men. According to FBI studies, there should be 1.5 to 2.0 per 1,000 of population. Based on my 10,000 population here, it (the Edgewater Park force) should be 15."

As for the feasibility study, Baranoski predicted that the elected officials would have a difficult time solving their own political problems. ''I haven't been privy to these things," he added. "It's stricly a move by the politicians. They did it before and it was shot down before. We (will) need a regional police station. Where's that going to be? You know the politicians are going to fight over that."

Beverly's DiFilippo said he saw advantages to regionalization. "Manpower, if the department is run properly," he said. "You would have more people roaming the different areas. As for equipment, we would probably all be better off because we could purchase more equipment that we need. We don't have a detective bureau - Delanco and Edgewater Park both have - and that would be a lot of help. It would solve some of our problems if we had a detective full-time.

"Our town is not the easiest to work in. We have several bars, housing projects, and we are a low-income district. We have four full-time, and eight part-timers who pitch in and work a lot of hours to make things work right. Some of our part-time guys have been around 20 years."

DiFilippo also said a regional force could help solve Beverly's problems with police turnover by making salaries more competitive with its neighbors'. ''We lost two full-time patrolmen in the last year and a half to other departments," he continued. "We completely trained and uniformed them and gave them street experience. And it didn't cost the other departments (one of the officers went to Edgewater Park) anything except to put them on the road. They are starting them at $3,000 to $4,000 more than we are paying. These guys have families and responsibilities and they have to live like anybody else. You can't expect them to do the same job as the guy next to them for . . . less."

No matter what the outcome of the new study of police consolidation in Beverly, Delanco and Edgewater Park, the debate is certain to be watched carefully throughout Burlington County.

The rumor of regionalization has been sweeping into other communities, such as Hainesport, where police department problems included a six-month suspension of the chief last year.

"When the rumors started," said Charles W. Gray, a township committee member, "we had to let everybody know it was not our (the committee's) doing. We did discuss it with Bob Shinn," a former county freeholder and current Republican member of the state Assembly, "and he said he had all the information (the study done in the early 1970s) in boxes in his attic. I really hadn't thought too much about it. It was turned down and I don't think it has progressed since. We're happy with our police department."

Talk of alternative police coverage has also been heard in Medford Lakes. Council member Michael Levinsky, director of public safety there, said she had been informally discussing the possibility of purchasing contract police service from Medford Township. "For Medford Township to cover its southern end," Levinsky said, "it has to go through the Lakes" anyway.

"Service costs(the buying of police time), which are rising faster than population growth, have placed a tremendous burden upon the taxpayer," said the 1979 report, and that has certainly not changed.

That report quoted the County and Municipal Government Study Commission's report on joint services: "The alternatives to such interlocal cooperation are stark: either chronically inadequate services or eventual mandatory regionalization - or both."

The 1979 riverfront study, however, included a statement that probably struck at the heart of the citizens' fears: "While people in the individual communities know and have confidence in the members of their respective local police departments, such confidence would not be easily transferred to a regional police agency, which could be impersonal and less responsive to the needs of the people."

Resolving that concern will not be easy.

THREE MEETINGS ON PROPOSAL SET

The first public hearing on the suggested consolidation of the Beverly, Delanco and Edgewater Park police departments will be at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow in the Delanco municipal building, on Burlington Avenue.

Additional hearings will be conducted on Jan. 22 in the Edgewater Park municipal building and on Jan. 27 in Beverly City Hall. Both also will be at 7:30.

The state Department of Community Affairs will conduct the hearings. At the three municipalities' requests, the agency is beginning a six-month study of the feasibility of combining the three departments.

Fire-prevention Efforts Bear Fruit In Delran

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20151017035233/http://articles.philly.com/1986-01-26/news/26056828_1_fire-district-fire-code-conduct-fire-safety-inspections

By Nicole Brodeur, Special to the Inquirer

Posted: January 26, 1986

It looks like a spendthrift's bank book.

A listing of the estimated amount of property loss due to fire in Delran Township dropped from $226,000 in 1981 to $217,000 in 1982. The next year, the loss plummeted to $49,000 and declined to just over $18,000 in 1984.

Someone is doing his job.

The figures, provided by the Delran Fire Company, reflect some of the proudest moments and the hardest work shared by the company since it started in 1967.

Previously, Delran firefighters operated as two entities: Delran Fire Company No. 1, on the Bridgeboro side of the township, and Delran Fire Company No. 2, on the Riverside Park side. Back then, the firefighters had a bit of a hard time getting used to working together and not competing against each other.

"The rivalry was always outside the fire grounds," said Captain Daniel Paolini 2nd of the Delran Fire Company as he sat in the Hartford Road headquarters.

"But we've been well beyond that stage for many years."

The department, which now has more than 80 members (only about 50 or 60 of them are active), has just celebrated 15 years of teaching fire prevention in the township schools and was honored with a resolution passed by the township council at Wednesday's meeting.

The prevention program, according to Paolini, fire official Jim Turcich and Chief James Bauer, has contributed to the decrease in the number of fires, hazardous conditions and especially, the number of false alarms answered by the company.

"The grade school kids who we taught years ago are now in junior high," Paolini said.

"We are seeing a reduction in the number of grass fires, garbage-can fires and false alarms. You can see a pattern."

Bauer said he has heard of schoolchildren, after being visited by firefighters, warning their parents about the dangers of cigarette smoking and of not extinguishing matches before throwing them away.

More importantly, he said, children are learning that a firefighter in full uniform is not someone to run away from in a burning house.

"In the long run," Paolini said, "we are raising a generation of people who are fire safe."

The company's efforts have not stopped there, however. Early this year, the fire district, which oversees the fire company, implemented a program designed to educate township business owners on the requirements of the new, state- mandated fire code.

"We are trying to show people that we are more than fire trucks and equipment," said Turcich.

The code, for example, requires that all buildings have smoke detectors. It also requires that a fire safety enforcement agency, preferably the local fire district, conduct fire-safety inspections.

Cinnaminson Township officials are awaiting a state appellate court's decision on whether the fire district or the township will have the authority to conduct the inspections on township residences and businesses.

The Delran company also has strived to improve the quality of its volunteers by sending them out of the county for additional training. In the recent past, volunteers attended the National Fire Academy in Maryland and took a course in Philadelphia.

"We've raised our level of firefighting ability," Paolini said.

Like many departments across the nation, Delran's is struggling with membership problems. New volunteers are few and far between, firefighters say.

"You have to get them while they're young," said Bauer. "Then out of five volunteers, one will become a long-term, active member."

The company operates with four pumpers, an aerial ladder truck, a light rescue unit, a brush truck and a 1964 van, which it hopes to replace this year, It also hopes to buy a rescue boat, if the fire budget is approved by voters.

The current $322,600 fire budget calls for a tax of 9 cents per $100 of assessed property value. Paolini, as budget officer, said he did not see next year's budget increasing that tax by any more than a penny.

The company is trying to keep costs down while improving services. The establishment of the fire district in 1981 has helped to bring more money to township fire services, but more members are needed to provide those services.

"There was a time we had enough people who could literally stomp a fire out, standing side by side," said Paolini.

"We didn't have the training, but we had the people and the equipment. Now we have the equipment, but we don't have the people."

7 Areas To Hold Elections Sat. To Decide Issues In Fire Districts

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20160102174356/http://articles.philly.com/1986-02-12/news/26089162_1_fire-commission-bond-issues-new-fire-hall

By Charlie Frush and Daniel LeDuc, Inquirer Staff Writers

Posted: February 12, 1986

Voters in seven local communities are to participate Saturday in annual fire-district elections, selecting candidates to serve on district commissions, approving or disapproving of the districts' operating budgets, and, in one community, considering two bond issues.

Polling will take place in Beverly, Cinnaminson, Delanco, Delran, Eastampton, and Edgewater Park and Tabernacle Townships.

Unlike a large community such as Cherry Hill, which has seven separate fire districts, the Burlington County communities have only one fire district in each municipality.

Two bond issues are on the ballot in Edgewater Park - one for $300,000, for the purchase of new firefighting equipment, and another for $100,000, for the purchase of a plot of land on Green Street that would be used for a fire company substation.

"Basically, we're planning ahead," said M. Glenna Goff, who heads the fire commission in Edgewater Park, which has no fire department of its own but is covered by the two companies in Beverly. The companies receive almost 80 percent of their funding from the commission.

"Suppose the Beverly fire companies go out of business," said Goff. ''There is virtually no property available in Edgewater Park. Even if we never need the property, we can deed it over to the township. We have no intention of building in the next 10 years, but if we had to, what would we do?"

Goff said that Edgewater Park has no intention of pulling out of the mutual protection system in the near future, but that the picture could change.

W. Paul Guidry, a member of the Edgewater Park Township Committee, said the bond-issue questions were inappropriate now.

"It's not that I'm opposed to a new fire hall ever being built," he said. ''I just feel the timing is poor."

Guidry cited "a big tax burden" that the community will be facing because of increases in the cost of waste removal and insurance and the increase in tuition being charged for the high school students the township sends to Burlington City.

Goff argued that the timing was proper. "If we don't put it up for a vote, how are we ever going to know what direction to go?" she said.

In urging support for the bond issues, she added that much of the firefighting equipment is "reaching the over-the-hill stage."

The $100,000 bond issue would be used to purchase a 6-acre site on the south side of Green Street just east of Beverly-Mount Holly Road. Don Evans of March Realty said that the property, which is 450 feet deep with a 57-foot frontage, is owned by Ray Maute of Riverside, and that the asking price is $120,000. The fire commission is having it appraised.

Although the $300,000 bond issue is listed simply as being designed to enable the community "to acquire fire apparatus," Wylie Johnson, captain of Beverly Fire Company No. 1 and chairman of the Beverly fire commission, is recommending purchase of a $300,000 multipurpose ladder truck. The truck would carry a built-in hose and air lines on its 75-foot ladder and would be capable of pumping its own water.

Any equipment purchased with Edgewater Park funds would become the property of Edgewater Park. All current equipment is owned by the Beverly fire companies.

Here are the polling times, candidates and budgets to be voted on:

Beverly - Polls will be open from 2-9 p.m. at City Hall. Candidates for two three-year seats are Joseph Rudnicki and Wylie Johnson; for two-year unexpired terms, Richard Morgan and Bruce Herbst, and for a one-year unexpired term, Alfred Desjardins. The operating budget to be voted on is for $48,250, the same as last year.

Cinnaminson - Polls will be open from 2-9 p.m. Voters in Election Districts 1-8 will vote at the community center on Manor Road, behind the Municipal Building. In Election Districts 9-16, voters will cast their ballots at the New Albany School, on New Albany Road. In Districts 17-22, voting will take place at the Cinnaminson Middle School, on Fork Landing Road.

Three candidates are vying for two seats. Incumbent John Stokes is seeking re-election. Also on the ballot are Larry Gerlock, a building contractor and volunteer firefighter, and Mark Parker, an executive with an investment firm who is not a volunteer firefighter.

The operating budget to be considered is for $340,000, up from the $328,000 of last year.

Delanco - Polls will be open from 1-7 p.m. at the firehouse, on Union Avenue. Candidates for one three-year term are Frederick V. McQuade Sr. and Edward A. Reynolds. The operating budget to be voted on is for $114,835.

Delran - Polls will be open from 2-9 p.m. at the Municipal Building, on Chester Avenue. Candidates for two open seats are President Wes Espenschied and Commissioner Charles Forssell. The budget to be voted on is for $452,600. Of that, $322,600 is to be raised by taxes - $22,600 more than last year - with the rest coming from reserves that would be used for the purchase of a utility van and a rescue boat.

Eastampton - Polls will be open from 2-9 p.m. at the Eastampton firehouse on Smithville Road. Candidates for two open seats are Matthew Chudoba and incumbent Axel Anderson. The operating budget to be voted on is for $76,564, a slight decrease from last year.

Edgewater Park - Polls will be open from 1-9 p.m. at the Municipal Building. Candidates for two three-year terms are Robert W. Clancy, an incumbent, and Susan C. Meredith, a firefighter who was appointed in October to complete the unexpired term of Marty Genett. The operating budget to be voted on is for $126,000, the same as last year. Also before the voters are bond issues of $300,000, for acquisition of fire apparatus, and $100,000, for a plot of ground for fire-protection purposes.

Tabernacle - Polls will be open from 2-9 p.m. at the Tabernacle Town Hall, at Route 563 and Carranza Road. The legal advertisement for the election says the balloting will take place at the firehouse, but a scheduling conflict required it to be moved to the Town Hall. Two seats are open in the election, with John Burger, William Singer and incumbent Michael Callaghan vying to fill them. The total budget to be voted on is for $77,300, a slight increase from last year.

Seeking Volunteers For Emergency Aid

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20160102194623/http://articles.philly.com/1986-02-12/news/26088975_1_ambulance-house-fire-volunteers

By Susan Levine, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: February 12, 1986

It had been a busy Saturday night for the Willingboro Emergency Squad, which was not surprising, considering the rain-soaked chill outside.

The first call of the 12-hour shift had been a house fire with people trapped inside, but it turned out that the residents were not home and the fire was brought under control easily.

Then there had been an unfounded report of an unconscious person, followed by a head-on collision north of the turnpike on Woodlane Road. The crew helped the Westampton squad on that call, and it took 30 minutes to cut an injured driver out of his car.

And then, Lt. Joe Strang, Mike Zielinski and Joe Stringfellow were standing on the sidelines of a state drill-squad competition in the John F. Kennedy High School gymnasium, covering for two colleagues who were transporting a high-stepper to the hospital with a knee injury.

It was 9:32 p.m. For Strang and the others, the next 8 hours and 28 minutes could be frantic hell or tedious boredom. Such is the unpredictability of emergency medical work.

It is work done free of charge in sometimes difficult circumstances and at inconvenient times. The volunteers say their services are often taken for granted. Increasingly, they say, it is attracting fewer people. And that is creating problems.

Emergency squads throughout New Jersey - a state rooted in volunteer emergency medical care - are finding themselves harder pressed than ever to answer calls, especially during weekdays. Many worry that service, and eventually a life, will be compromised. The era of paid staff members is no longer probable but inevitable, they say.

The Kennedy gymnasium was not the place to discuss such issues, though. As batons, rifles and flags went spinning through the air, Strang, the duty chief of the Willingboro squad, leaned against the gym wall and suggested that his crew enjoy the show.

They got little chance.

At 9:52, over the blaring music, Stringfellow hears the squad's call tones from the walkie-talkie in his hand.

Suddenly, everything changes: Run from the gym. Forty seconds later, on the road. Strang driving, Zielinski copiloting. Lights flashing, siren screaming.

"Unconscious person, Gardenbrook Lane," informs the dispatcher at central communications in Westampton. That is all: no age, no sex, no explanation.

"Sixty-five responding," answers Stringfellow from the back of the ambulance.

Across Levitt Parkway, left on Garnet, right on Gardenbrook. Zielinski searches for house numbers; Strang curses. The ambulance passes a Willingboro police car heading up the street; seconds later, the dispatcher advises, ''Police say you have passed the house."

Three minutes later, out of the ambulance. Stringfellow grabs a green first-aid bag. Party-goers line the sidewalk. Low conversation. A house crowded with other party-goers - a wedding reception.

The 17-year-old girl, reported to be unconscious, is sitting on a stool at one end of the living room.

Everyone offers comments: "She's had the flu;" "She just broke up with her boyfriend and hasn't eaten all week;" "She looks 100 percent better now;" "You got here so fast."

The three men check her pulse and heartbeat. Strang asks the girl if she has been drinking. Is she pregnant? No, she says, to both.

She says she is feeling better. Her parents say taking her to the hospital is unnecessary. The squad crew files out of the house and back into the ambulance. Back to the squad building to await the next call.

10:17 p.m.

*

"Knights in shining armor" is what Nathaniel Evans, emergency room physician at Memorial Hospital of Burlington County, calls them. "Unsung heroes" is the description by Jaime Pitner, coordinator of the hospital's Mobile Intensive Care Unit.

At the center of the admiration are the hundreds of people across the county who respond to the ominous beeps and sirens of medical emergencies.

Last year, the county volunteers answered more than 18,000 calls. The 85- member Willingboro squad volunteered 37,117 hours on about 2,500 calls.

"They perform a vital service," said state Rep. William P. Schuber (R., Bergen), who last year held hearings on the problems of volunteer emergency and fire squads. "We could not afford . . . to convert these squads to paid services." Most emergency medical squads receive a portion of their budgets from municipal governments and raise the remainder on their own.

Riding the ambulances are people such as Joe Stringfellow, 16, a Willingboro student who has been known to arrive at a scene on his bicycle; and Nancy Cooper, 30, a swing-shift worker at a cranberry plant whose four- member Pemberton squad answered 47 calls in January's first 26 days, and Howard Dickerson, 62, a volunteer for 32 years and captain of the Beverly squad for 19 of those years.

Titles vary. Depending on the program they train under, the volunteers are called either emergency medical technicians, five-pointers or first-aiders. Each designation speaks to basic life support - the administration of oxygen, the start of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of bandages, splints, collars and dressings. The EMT program is the most rigorous, requiring 120 hours of state training and recertification every three years.

People often use the terms interchangeably. But in an emergency, the only thing that matters is that someone is coming to help.

"When it hits home, then they realize, 'My God, we need these people,' " Dickerson said.

For the squads, the realization that they, too, need help has been hitting home with equal force in recent years. They need people to volunteer.

The problem has led to longer response times and a greater reliance of squads on each other. The most difficult period, squads say, is daytime, when it seems that virtually no one is home to respond to a neighbor in need.

"It's a very serious situation," said Jerris Martinez, director of county central communications, who on occasion has watched dispatchers ring three and four squads before finding one available. "The lack of volunteers is, I think, taking a great toll on the effectiveness and efficiency of the squads."

"We always have people say, 'Gee, I'm glad you can do that. I can't,' " said Gus Maier, president of the Willingboro squad. Invariably, those people are the same ones questioning why an out-of-town squad truck was in front of a local resident's house. "Obviously there's a need," Maier said.

The shortage of volunteers has led to such situations as these:

* In Willingboro, police officer Paul Hernandez was on regular daytime patrol duty last month when he was sent to a report of a drug overdose.

Hernandez reached the house within three minutes and relayed back to the dispatcher that the person was still conscious. He was told that Delran's squad was coming. Five minutes later, he told the dispatcher that the man was beginning to slip in and out of consciousness. Five minutes later, paramedics from Zurbrugg Memorial Hospital-Rancocas Valley Division showed up. Still another five minutes passed before the Willingboro Emergency Squad arrived to transport the patient; they had been in Delran on a call.

* In Beverly, a late-night alarm went out last month that a woman was unconscious and not breathing. Dickerson rushed to the squad building and waited, as required, for a second person to respond. No one did. The call was repeated. Dickerson made a quick decision: "I took an ambulance out. I figured, Howard, they can do with you what they want, but I'm going." He was the last to arrive, after a police officer, paramedics and the Burlington City Endeavor squad, which also had been summoned. The woman died; Dickerson said he believed that her death was inevitable. Still, "It hurts inside. Did you ever have a 62-year-old man with tears coming down his cheeks?"

* In Pemberton Township, Nancy Cooper has watched squad ranks dwindle from 30 to 4 within the last five years. "We're constantly on the go," she said. ''We try to run 24 hours, day and night, no matter what the weather." When a call comes in, she meets two members at the neighbor's house where their one ambulance is parked. In winter, they have to brush off snow and warm up the engine before they can get rolling. On occasion, equipment has been frozen. "We pick up the fourth guy on the way." Many times, she said, ''We're not even to our rig by the time (central communications is) ready to go to another squad."

Some communities are becoming alarmed about the situation.

"We have to find some alternate means of inducing people to join," said Pemberton Township Councilman Charles L. Meyers. He said he planned to focus on emergency-service needs during this year's budget negotiations.

To many people, however, the only answer is money.

"There's really no solutions as far as volunteers are concerned," said Martinez. "I think the handwriting is on the wall. In the not-too-distant future, something will have to be done to pay these people."

In fact, two Burlington County squads already have begun paying members. In September, Mount Laurel Township hired two EMTs, at a salary of about $15,000 each, for its Fellowship Emergency Squad. In October, the Delran Emergency Squad started paying an EMT about $12,000.

"We had to make a move," said Donald Horner, captain of the Delran squad. ''We didn't want it to get to the point where we weren't making calls."

The Fellowship squad had reached that point when it hired the two EMTs, said Capt. Charles Kritz Sr. At the time, nearly a third of its calls were being diverted to other squads.

Still, the squad debated the move for almost a year, especially whether having paid staff could cause morale problems among volunteers or dilute the volunteer spirit. He said the change has done neither.

"We're very proud we're volunteers. We're trained well to do this. It's not the days of yesteryear where you swoop, scoop and run," he said.

However, he predicted that paid staff would become more common. "I don't ever envision being without paid staff again."

Eager from training, Janine Maier was ready to save lives. But on her first call as a Willingboro squad member, she hit reality hard.

The victim, a 27-year-old epileptic with four small children, had suffered a seizure, vomited and choked. She was already dead.

"I went charging in there with all my oxygen and training and there was nothing I could do," Maier recounted recently. She said she walked out and ''bawled my eyes out." When a police officer at the scene asked Maier to dress the woman's children, she did so.

"There's a time when it hits you, the enormity of a situation, the horror of a situation. Even after many years of doing something, it hits you," said Alan Pollon, a 25-year veteran from Willingboro.

Pollon and his daughter, Terri Pollon, and Maier, and her father, Gus Maier, are only two of the many family combinations on squad rosters. Volunteers must be at least 16, but there is no upper age cutoff. Husband- wife, sister-sister - each joins and then remains for different reasons.

Some repay what they see as debts - lifesaving calls others have made for their families. Some have medical interests or seek companionship. Still others, it must be said, gravitate toward sirens and bells and breakneck pressure.

Squads, which in the past have tended to sit back and wait for members, are beginning to use those individual reasons in increasingly active recruitment efforts.

"Squads need to make a community aware that the squads exist because the community supports it," said Willingboro member Peter Ingerman, contemplating the membership drive that the squad plans for the spring. He said he envisioned involving churches and service organizations, and planned to advertise in a big way.

The Beverly squad is thinking along similar lines and is hoping that a push for its own building will attract attention. The Delran squad, which last year advertised in local papers, put out brochures and appeared before civic groups, recently organized a medical Explorer's Scout Troop and hopes to recruit from that.

At the state level, the First Aid Council has produced public-relations literature for squads to use. The state Office of Emergency Medical Services also is responding and, on Feb. 3, it began a pilot project for students at Lenape Regional High School in Medford.

In the project, 25 students, whose class schedules allow them to end their school days at noon, began a 10-week afternoon program leading to certification as EMTs.

"Once the first class is through, I think it will grow by leaps and bounds," said the project founder, Pat Cone, a supervisor in the state office and a volunteer with the Medford Emergency Squad. "Hopefully, we'll do it throughout the state."

And in Trenton, assembly member Schuber said he planned to reintroduce legislation drafted last year to assist fire and emergency squads in attracting volunteers. His proposals include providing members with state income-tax credits, homeowner mortgage insurance and pension and educational assistance. In addition, employers would be given financial incentives through tax credits to allow employees to answer local calls during working hours.

"Sooner or later, we're going to be in a crisis situation," Schuber said.

Three weeks ago, on a miserably icy Monday evening, Janine Maier and three other Willingboro squad members signed up for emergency duty and, in sleeping bags, spent the night at the squad building.

Normally, the two people scheduled for duty would have run from their homes, but both were sick and, given the weather, the others decided to stick close to the ambulances.

In a six-hour period, they went out on three respiratory-distress calls, a motor-vehicle accident, a drug overdose and a fire.

All in a night's work.

Dealing Justice With A Stern Hand

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20151221005434/http://articles.philly.com/1986-02-19/news/26089411_1_municipal-court-court-observers-lawyer

By David Iams, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: February 19, 1986

In the municipal court of Bennett E. Bozarth, it's the little things that count.

Take, for example, some incidents from several days spent observing Bozarth's court last month:

* A little tardiness cost James Nash of Burlington City a contempt-of-court charge that has not yet been resolved. He was charged in Edgewater Park for missing the judge's explanation of the rights of a defendant in a disorderly persons case.

* A little talking in court cost Heather Ashcroft of Medford Township a $40 contempt-of-court fine.

* And a little resistance to arrest cost a disabled Willingboro resident, Tom Lewis, four months in jail and more than $1,000 in fines, although several hours after imposing the sentence, Bozarth relented and suspended the imprisonment.

These are some of the penalties that have given Bozarth a reputation for being one of Burlington County's severest magistrates - a reputation that prompted one Pemberton Township politician, former township committee member Jean Dwane, to make a passing reference in a public meeting to Bozarth as ''our hanging judge."

Hanging, of course, is not within the authority of Bozarth or any other municipal court judge. But what these judges can do - and how they do it - is something that not many citizens know about, according to some court observers.

No matter who is on the bench, the observers say, a day in court can be a sobering and costly experience for a person without proper knowledge of municipal-level justice.

In the area, chances are good that the day in court will be before Judge Bozarth, 39, of Delran, a descendant of one of the county's oldest families.

He graduated from Columbia Law School in 1972 and collects Oriental rugs. But he makes his judicial rounds in a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

When he was still a trial lawyer, he helped his family, which is involved in the Delaware River shipping industry, on the docks in Camden. He gave it up after being persuaded by his lawyer friends that that was unprofessional.

On different days, he is the municipal court judge in seven of the area's 27 communities: Edgewater Park, Hainesport and Riverton, and Medford, Pemberton, Shamong and Woodland Townships. He had been judge of an eighth, Cinnaminson, but his appointment was not renewed last month.

State officials involved in the courts said they were unaware of his reputation for sternness.

But those who have spent time before his bench agree that there are few courts outside Bozarth's circuit where justice has a sterner ring. Bozarth sees his role as that of an upholder of law and order.

"His bedside manner is not the best," said Emilie Himm, the Pemberton Township court clerk.

"If you sneeze, he'll charge you with contempt," said Ed Minor, a Pemberton Township resident who has appeared before Bozarth at different times as defendant, complainant and witness.

"He is much sterner," said Ernest De Stefano, an attorney who is the prosecutor in Woodland Township and the public defender in Pemberton Township. ''He's not going to allow defendants to run his court."

It is not that Bozarth is unfair, unkind, inattentive or harsher in his decisions than the other 11 judges who preside over the county's 40 municipal courts. If he were, it would soon come to the attention of the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct, a state watchdog panel.

No, the stuff of Bozarth's sternness is subtler.

For instance, take the opening moments of court, when judges typically read off the names of defendants, most charged with motor-vehicle offenses, to see if they are present.

After reading the defendants' names in Cinnaminson a couple of weeks ago, more than half of whom were absent, Judge Gregory McCloskey, Bozarth's successor, murmured an order to the court clerk to make sure that they were issued warrants.

Bozarth's style is more dramatic. On several occasions in various courtrooms, Bozarth called out a name, paused, and when no one answered, he said, "Warrant," repeating the word until it seemed to echo like the clang of a jailhouse door.

Contempt is another word that recurs in Bozarth's court. Soon after charging Nash with contempt for tardiness in Edgewater Park, Bozarth charged another couple with contempt for talking in court.

He also charged Ashcroft with contempt, although she later explained that she simply had been telling the time to her boyfriend, who is functionally illiterate. Bozarth later suspended the fine.

Bozarth even fined a lawyer, Ed Magram of Mount Holly, for contempt for talking with his client in court, although officially the incident has been expunged from court records.

Magram was fined $40, but the fine was vacated.

Bozarth's sternness is not limited to courtroom discipline. In Mount Holly, Judge Vincent D'Elia sent off a man he had just fined for driving while intoxicated with a kindly "Good luck to you, sir." That benediction was never heard during visits to Bozarth's court.

In another case, a woman in Edgewater Park pleaded guilty to shoplifting $92 worth of merchandise from a Pathmark supermarket. She said she had been ''under a lot of distress and under a doctor's care."

"That hardly constitutes a defense," Bozarth replied. He then gave her a year's probation, a $300 fine, a suspended sentence of 30 days in jail and an order to perform 40 hours of community service. When the woman said scheduling the community service would be difficult because she has children, Bozarth replied: "How you do it is between you and the probation department. If you don't, you can be sure I'll see you again."

A man who missed an appointment with his probation officer was ordered by Bozarth to return to court with a letter from the officer. In an aside to nobody in particular, the judge added, "It better be a good letter, or he better bring a toothbrush."

To Mount Holly attorney Paul Latterman, Bozarth is familiar for his phrase to defendants who ask for extensions of their cases so they can hire attorneys. According to Latterman, Bozarth generally gives them until the next court session in that municipality to hire one and adds the warning: "If he can't be there then, get another attorney."

In some courts, a plea of guilty with extenuating circumstances is allowed.

In Cinnaminson, for instance, McCloskey patiently heard such a plea in a traffic case, ignoring not only the law's technical requirement that a defendant plead either guilty or not guilty, but also the occasional buzz of conversation in the courtroom.

Bozarth is not so pliant, permitting a defendant to tell his story only before sentencing, as prescribed by law.

If, after being denied the chance to plead guilty with an excuse, the defendant hesitates, Bozarth usually tells the defendant that he is entering a plea of not guilty on the defendant's behalf. Then, so the defendant will have time to obtain counsel, Bozarth tells him he is rescheduling the case for the next court session - a prospective ordeal to which the get-it-over-with appeal of a guilty plea may seem preferable.

It was small wonder, then, that Tom Lewis Jr. refused an attorney and pleaded guilty before Bozarth to charges stemming from an altercation on Nov. 10, 1985.

According to statements given to the court by Pemberton Township police Officer Robert Willits, police were summoned to Lewis' residence after a report that he was involved in a fight. Although Lewis is physically handicapped, walks with a limp and allegedly was intoxicated at the time of the incident, he took a swing at Willits, police said.

Willits was not injured, and by the time the case reached Bozarth's court the charges had been reduced from aggravated assault and threatening a police officer to simple assault and a disorderly person charge of harassment. When asked if he had anything to say for himself, Lewis was silent.

Bozarth was not. "It doesn't appear that any mitigating factors apply," the judge said. Then, saying, "Such behavior won't be tolerated," Bozarth sentenced Lewis to four months in the county jail on the assault charge. He also fined him $800, plus $25 in court costs, and ordered him to pay another $25 to the New Jersey Crime Compensation Fund.

After that, he fined Lewis $200 plus $25 in court costs and $25 in compensation-fund costs on the disorderly person charge.

Lewis, his right hand bunched up at his side, his legs visibly shaking, heard the sentence and then hobbled off to a seat at the side of the court to await being taken to the lockup. To some in the courtroom, it seemed as if mercy was a word whose meaning Bozarth did not know.

That is not the case, according to state and court officials. Such sternness, they say, is necessary to the dignity of the court itself - and often required by law. And if there are any serious complaints about cold- heartedness in Bozarth's court, nobody has made them public.

"We get complaints about all judges," said Steven Traub, the assistant court administrator for Burlington County Superior Court who oversees the county's municipal courts. But Earl Josephson, a spokesman for the state court system, said, "A lot of complaints are from people who really disagree with their decision."

If the complaints pertain to a judge's competence or honesty, he said, they are handled by the Judicial Ethics Committee, which in its 10 years of existence has issued 17 presentments - six involving state judges, 10 involving municipal court judges, and one involving a surrogate. They resulted in three removals from office; one public reprimand; nine private reprimands; two resignations, and two presentment dismissals.

Unresolved complaints about judges at any level, however, are kept confidential, these officials said.

"Even if I had any knowledge of this judge's courts, I could not give that information," said Patrick Monahan, staff counsel for the ethics committee.

Obviously, said one state official who declined to be identified, if the file of complaints about a certain judge gets a lot thicker than the other files, state officials are aware of it. But if such information were indiscriminately publicized, he said, it would tarnish the image of the courts themselves, which, regardless of the human failings of the people who run them, must remain above suspicion.

Even many who acknowledge Bozarth's sternness in the courtroom say it is necessary if he is to combine justice with efficiency.

"When you have a docket with over 100 individuals on it, the only way you can run a court efficiently is to set guidelines and rules, " said De Stefano, who sees such dockets every week in Pemberton Township.

Even though as public defender he often challenges Bozarth in court, De Stefano said he stands up for the stiffness of the penalties. "What he's trying to get across is that when you are convicted, a penalty is not supposed to suit your pocketbook," De Stefano said. A fine, he said, "is not supposed to be a free ride to Great Adventure."

Bozarth is aware that he has his critics. He said both his office and his car had been vandalized. He also claims supporters, including Cinnaminson Police Chief Thomas Adams. In December, Adams unsuccessfully endorsed Bozarth, a Republican, for reappointment by the Democrat-dominated Township Committee.

Bozarth said he does not know if he is unusually stern or not. He is forbidden by the state Code of Judicial Conduct from attending other municipal courts to make comparisons.

Bozarth became a municipal judge four years ago after handling both prosecutions and defenses for 10 years as a trial lawyer.

He said that one of the reasons he liked being a judge was that he believed he had made society a safer place, particularly for the aged.

And it is significant that, when asked which side of trial law he had preferred, his answer was the prosecution.

Now that he is on the bench, he said, he demands "a rigid adherence" to punctuality in the court and to silence - and is quick to give his reasons. He recalled an earlier municipal judge whose court was supposed to begin at 8:30 a.m., but who did not show up until about 10. The waiting period gave "people a chance to seethe," he said.

In addition to preventing courtroom participants from feeling that "their time and anxiety are not appreciated," punctuality keeps Bozarth's courtroom calendar moving at the rapid pace that is required, he said. State law, for instance, requires that driving-while-intoxicated cases be tried in 60 days, which can impose scheduling difficulties. "I step on a lot of toes," he said, "not only the toes of defendants, but also attorneys."

Bozarth has equally pragmatic reasons for insisting on silence. Municipal- court proceedings are tape-recorded so that transcripts can be prepared in the event of an appeal.

Courtroom chatter, he said, can make the proceedings impossible to transcribe, forcing the cost, the trouble and the uncertain outcome of a retrial. That uncertainty, in turn, makes the operations of the judicial system "look like rolling dice."

For talking in court, Bozarth said, he imposes a contempt fine of no more than $40, "except in outrageous cases." For tardiness there is more flexibility, depending on the validity of the excuse.

"The price of my 'Draconian' measures," Bozarth said with a smile, "is that we move cases efficiently in comparison with a looser court."

As to the sternness of his rulings, Bozarth said many of the penalties he imposed - such as entering a not-guilty plea for a wavering defendant - were required by the spirit or the letter of law.

"I'm more concerned about justice being done than with the defendant's desire to have it over and done with," he said.

Bozarth also said that he was more flexible than many courtroom observers realized, reducing sentences upon a subsequent request from a defendant. But, as a judge, he added, he is limited in the amount of help he can provide to a defendant who does not understand what is happening.

"There's an end to how much I can involve myself," he said.

For that reason, Bozarth said, he frequently calls upon the public defender to look into a defendant's problems.

For example, on the day he sentenced Lewis to jail, he later called De Stefano to the bench and asked him to look into the case further. When De Stefano said that, in view of Lewis' physical condition, he should not be jailed, Bozarth suspended the sentence.

Such last-minute reprieves are not automatic, however. And Bozarth, like other officials involved in municipal-court justice, expressed dismay at the lack of awareness on the part of the public about the importance of an adequate legal defense, particularly when a jail sentence is possible.

Few defendants, for instance, seemed to know that a jail term often can be served on weekends or tailored to permit them to keep a household intact or to keep a job.

"I might take a splinter out of my own finger," Bozarth said, drawing an impromptu analogy with court cases of varying severity. "But if it got infected, I'd want a doctor."

Delran Arbitration Postponed To March

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20151222082604/http://articles.philly.com/1986-02-23/news/26088232_1_binding-arbitration-police-contract-pension-fund

By Nicole Brodeur, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: February 23, 1986

Efforts at resolving a dispute concerning the Delran Police Association's 1985 contract have been postponed until March 4 by arbitrator Thomas F. Carey.

Carey canceled a session scheduled for Feb. 13 to "take more time to prepare his position," according to township administrator Matthew Watkins.

The state arbitrator was called in by the association in early January in a renewed effort to resolve the unsettled portion of its 1985 contract with the township.

The association, which represents 14 patrol officers, a detective and three sergeants, had filed for binding arbitration after negotiations broke off Dec. 6 without a settlement.

At that meeting - the day on which the association had expected the transfer of its pension fund from the state Public Employees Retirement System to the Police and Firemen's Retirement System - the township offered a 3 percent salary increase retroactive to Jan. 1, 1985.

Talks on the 1985 contract were reopened after legislation that would have transferred the pension fund was not approved by the state legislature by Nov. 1, the deadline contained in the contract, which expired on Dec. 31.

The one-year 1985 contract, under which members of the association are still working, granted patrol officers a 5 percent salary increase retroactive to Jan. 1 and an extra personal day. It also stipulated that the association could seek to transfer the pension fund.

At the time the pension transfer failed, Mayor Richard Knight said the township would make up for that failure by reopening the 1985 contract and negotiating an additional, retroactive wage increase. That would include pay for overtime.

But when the township offered a 3 percent wage increase, disappointed members of the association called in the arbitrator.

Patrolman William Pfeffer, association president, said the group would press for an 8 percent increase in the arbitration proceedings.

"We just have kind of gotten stuck," said Watkins. "Obviously, I'm kind of confounded that we are still arbitrating the 1985 contract. But that's the way (arbitration) is, and I can't change that."

To add to the association's and township's woes, negotiations aimed at settling the 1986 police contract have yet to be completed.

Township officials and association representatives met Feb. 10 for the first time, and have scheduled additional talks for Wednesday.

Watkins said both sides had informally agreed not to discuss the specifics of the negotiations.

A Jury Sticks It Out - To The Bitter End

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20160104030419/http://articles.philly.com/1986-04-20/news/26079467_1_jurors-plant-owners-case

By L. Stuart Ditzen, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: April 20, 1986

Sometime after the first of the year, the captives began to settle in and relax. They began to joke with each other. They took to playing cards during free time. They even developed a liking for their captors.

"After two months, we had really become used to it," observed Barbara Robinson, speaking in retrospect. "In the beginning, we grumbled and we mumbled. But as time went on, we got used to each other. . . . We talked. We learned about each other's families."

Robinson, of South Philadelphia, and 12 others were for five months captives of the Philadelphia Common Pleas Court as jurors in one of the longest trials on record here - a trial that ended April 11 in a private settlement, the terms of which were kept secret even from the jurors.

Although the jurors had grown to enjoy one another's company during the long and often tedious trial, none was happy at being denied the opportunity to render a verdict or at being denied information on the settlement.

"I don't know how to describe it. It's like being raped or something," said Randall Fogel, one of the jurors. "We sat there all that time waiting to make a decision. Then they made the decision on their own and they're not telling us what it is."

"We wanted to know, why make us sit here all this time if at the very end you're going to close the door in our faces?" said Robinson. "We looked forward to making a decision. That was the reason for us being there."

The matter on trial, had it gone to a verdict, would have been a precedent- setting case in Pennsylvania. It was an industrial lead-poisoning case that was the first of its kind to be tried in the state.

The case was that of Timothy Stephens, 59, of the Olney section, who contended that his health had been ruined by slow lead poisoning at a lead smelter in the Frankford section where he had worked for 33 years.

Stephens filed a lawsuit in 1981 to hold responsible the former plant owners, Julian Bers of Jenkintown and Gould Inc. of St. Paul, Minn., for various maladies he suffered, including kidney failure.

His was the first of 80 cases in which workers or families of workers sought damages for health problems or death from lead poisoning at the former lead smelter at Ashland Street and Adams Avenue. The plant operated from the 1930s to 1981. All 80 cases were settled in conjunction with the Stephens case.

It was evident from the length and magnitude of the case that the settlement was substantial, but Judge Abraham J. Gafni, who presided at the trial, said the attorneys agreed that the terms were to remain secret.

Dante Mattioni, attorney for Stephens, said he agreed to settle the case to enable Stephens and other former plant workers, many of whom are aging and suffering damaged nervous systems and organs, to receive immediate financial benefits. Otherwise, Mattioni said, the case could have taken years to wend its way through the appeals process while the workers waited for their money.

STEADFASTNESS

Mattioni and other attorneys in the case said the settlement probably would not have occurred had it not been for the steadfastness of the 12 jurors and one alternate who kept coming to court through the long trial.

"In my 26 years as a lawyer, it was the finest jury I've ever seen," said Mattioni. "They were a magnificent group."

G. Wayne Renneisen, attorney for Gould Inc., said that simply by its silent presence, the jury helped to focus the issues of the case and bring the parties to a settlement. "Without this jury," he said, "we would not have a resolution of these 80 cases."

In dismissing the jury a week ago Friday, Gafni issued special certificates to each juror to express his gratitude for their service.

Gafni's court officer, Mort Hoskin, who had been responsible for keeping tabs on the jury from day to day, gave each juror an imported sugar spoon

because, Hoskin said, "they were so sweet."

And the jurors in turn said their disappointment at the outcome of the trial was offset by bonds of friendship that developed during the five months they sat together in a ninth-floor courtroom at 5 Penn Center. Several jurors said they had become almost like a family.

REUNION PLANNED

At the conclusion of the trial, the jurors went to lunch at McGillin's Old Ale House, 1314 Drury St., where, in the words of one, "We toasted each other - several times," and they set a date for a reunion six months from now.

"It's not like were going to be totally lost," said Robinson, who works in the records department at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. ''We have each other's phone numbers and addresses and we're going to keep in touch, because that was five months out of our lives. . . . We gained a lot of friends. We became a big family."

Robinson said she has invited all the jurors and Judge Gafni to her wedding in June.

During the trial, the jurors were permitted to return home each day. But even so, they said, their lives were turned upside down by jury duty. Some tried to keep up with jobs during lunch breaks and in the evenings. Others had to make special arrangements for child care. And the joys and sorrows of their individual lives were shared by all.

PERSONAL LIVES

Relatives of two jurors died during the trial. Two jurors had birthdays. Two jurors made wedding plans. Several became ill, requiring the trial to be recessed until they recovered.

One juror, Bas R. Encarnacion, of Northeast Philadelphia, who emigrated to the United States from the Philippines in 1973, followed the fall of Ferdinand Marcos in his homeland - which he cheered - as the trial unfolded.

Throughout, the jurors were under instructions not to discuss the case with each other, or with anyone.

The trial began Nov. 18 with 12 jurors and four alternates who were picked

from 140 jury candidates during more than a week of jury selection.

Mattioni employed a psychologist, Arthur H. Patterson, from State College, to assist in jury selection.

Patterson, who operates a consulting firm called Jury Analysts Inc., said in an interview, "We were looking for people who were going to care about the case and stay with it."

By attrition, three jurors dropped out as the trial proceeded, leaving only one alternate. But the rest of the jurors did exactly what Patterson had hoped: They stayed with it. Had more of them dropped, there was an agreement between the attorneys to let the case proceed with a jury of 10.

The jurors arrived for trial in fall clothing, soon switched to winter garb and did not depart until they were in spring attire. They were paid $25 a day and served about 100 days of trial duty. Jury Commissioner Nicholas Kozay said the total payment for the jury was $31,400.

Kozay said it was the longest civil jury trial in his 14 years as jury commissioner. Gafni and the attorneys in the case said they knew of no case that had been as long in Common Pleas Court.

The jurors said their employers made up the difference between the $25 a day jury rate and their normal daily wages. Most said their employers were understanding about the long period away from work.

After returning to work at a graphic design firm in Delran, N.J., last week, Randall Fogel, of the Mayfair section, said his colleagues asked the outcome of the long trial. It was dismaying, he said, to have to answer: "I don't know."

Fogel said he tried to keep up with his job during the trial by going to work in the evenings.

Paula Hoffmann, another juror, said she kept up with her job as editor of a magazine for Strawbridge & Clothier employees by working at lunch time and in the evenings and focusing one issue of her magazine on life in the department store at night.

By contrast, Bas Encarnacion, who normally works two full-time jobs, found more time to be with his wife and five children during the trial. But Encarnacion said he lost about $500 a month in income because both of his employers deducted his $25-a-day jury fee from his paycheck while he was absent from work.

PRESENTATION OF EVIDENCE

The first four months of trial were consumed with the painstakingly slow presentation of Timothy Stephens' case. Health studies, medical records and documents from the Frankford lead smelter were entered in the record. Witnesses included doctors, chemical engineers and former plant workers.

The defense had been in progress only about a month when the case was settled.

The jurors said there were times when the tedium of the trial became agonizing. Everyone, at one time or another, wanted to abandon it.

"People would say, 'What did I do in my lifetime to deserve this?' " said Hoffmann, of South Philadelphia. "But everybody sort of helped each other to pull through. . . . I think we realized it was a really important case. I think we all accepted the responsibility."

"I guess we all felt it was our duty," said Catherine Oswald, another juror. "So we stuck to it. I think we were all there to the end."

In about the third month, Gafni and several lawyers observed that the jurors seemed to have settled in for the long haul. They had relaxed and jelled together. They were joking with one another. During breaks, they played cards and games in the jury room.

Privately, the judge and the attorneys speculated that perhaps the jury had been affected by the syndrome that sometimes occurs in hostage situations where the captives begin to identify with their captors.

Indeed, it was true. The jurors were unanimous in their fondness for Gafni, who as their principal "captor" tried constantly, they said, to be considerate of them.

Dale Bernstein of Oxford Circle said that when she became ill at trial one day during the SEPTA strike, Gafni sent her home in a taxi.

Robinson said Gafni bought a cake so the jury could celebrate her birthday March 27.

"He knew were were under a lot of stress and strain," Robinson said, ''but he made it comfortable for us to be there."

All the same, Bernstein seemed to echo the unanimous sentiments of others when she said: "It is frustrating, I must admit. . . . We really would have liked to be in on the settling and giving (Stephens) what we thought he deserved."

"Sometimes you wonder if you served a purpose," said Catherine Oswald of Southwest Philadelphia. "I hope we served some purpose. . . . They tried to tell us we did."

Arbitrator Favors Delran In Police-salary Dispute

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150915000619/http://articles.philly.com/1986-05-18/news/26048963_1_pension-transfer-pension-fund-william-pfeffer

By Nicole Brodeur, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: May 18, 1986

A state arbitrator ruled last week in favor of Delran Township in a 1985 contract dispute with the Delran Patrolmen's Association.

In his decision, made public Tuesday, arbitrator Thomas Carey ordered the township to award the patrolmen's association a 2 percent increase in addition to the 5 percent increase agreed to by both sides in March 1985. The arbitrator's award will be added to the current $15,719 annual starting salary of a patrolman. The salary scale rises to $24,127 after five years.

But the 7 percent salary increase was far below what the association's 14 patrol officers, three sergeants and detective anticipated when they called for arbitration in December.

"All I can say is, naturally, everyone is disappointed and disillusioned," said William Pfeffer, the association's president and a patrolman.

Township administrator Matthew Watkins said officials regretted having to resort to arbitration and hoped that it would not happen again.

"It's expensive and time-consuming," Watkins said of the arbitration, adding that each party had to pay $549 for Carey's services.

Negotiations broke off Dec. 6, when the township offered an additional 3 percent salary increase retroactive to Jan. 1, 1985. The association turned down the offer, Pfeffer said, because members felt that it did not compensate them for the failure of an expected pension-fund transfer promised by the township.

In March of last year, the township granted police officers a 5 percent salary increase retroactive to Jan. 1 and an extra personal day. The township also said that the association could seek to transfer its pension fund from the state Public Employees Retirement System to the Police and Firemen's Retirement System, a move that would have allowed police officers to retire earlier.

But legislation that would have transferred the pension fund was not approved by the state Legislature by Nov. 1, the deadline contained in the 1985 contract, which expired on Dec. 31.

At the time the pension transfer failed, Mayor Richard Knight said the township would make up for that failure by reopening the 1985 contract and negotiating an additional, retroactive wage increase that would include overtime pay.

The 3 percent increase that was eventually offered by the township caused the association to call for arbitration, setting its sights on an 8 percent increase, in addition to the 5 percent already awarded.

Those sights, Pfeffer said last week, were too high.

"We got a raw deal," Pfeffer said. "I hope the council is proud of themselves, because they now have the Delran police as one of the lowest-paid forces around."

Pfeffer said the settlement had "totally demoralized" association members.

"It's ridiculous when you can go out and collect trash for $3,000 or $4,000 more than what we are earning," he said.

The association's last offer to the township was for a 7 percent increase, Pfeffer said, adding that that was comparable to the loss of the pension transfer.

"I guess the arbitrator didn't think the pension fund was a critical issue," he said.

Both parties, Watkins said, have learned from the process and will bring their new knowledge to the 1986 police contract negotiations. Representatives have met four times over the last three months, he said. In the meantime, police officers are working under the 1985 contract terms.

Watkins said both sides have formally agreed not to discuss the specifics of the negotiations.

Delran Council Hears Complaints About Its Support For Police Force

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150921170342/http://articles.philly.com/1986-05-29/news/26050217_1_police-force-police-equipment-radios

By Tony Frasca, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: May 29, 1986

During a heated meeting last night, the Delran Township Council and about 25 residents squared off over the training, equipment and salaries provided to the township's police force.

In what may have been a response to a recent salary-arbitration settlement considered unfavorable to the police, several officers attended the meeting, in addition to residents, and they asked the council about what they said was a lack of first-aid training and equipment and problems with portable police radios. They also questioned the council's commitment to the safety of township citizens.

Delran resident Michael Myers said he was appalled that the salary dispute between police and the township had gone to arbitration.

"Officers should be paid a decent, livable salary. I don't mind paying taxes for a good reason," he said.

On the matter of radios, he said, "I think the mayor and council should take a step back and readjust their priorities in such an area as radios, which could be a life-saving device."

Officer Bill Pepfer said, "The township was not taking on full responsibility for the safety of its citizens."

Mayor Richard Knight said that he and the council were aware of the need for upgrades in some police equipment, such as radios, but he was quick to defend his record concerning the police department.

He said he would replace poor equipment when money became available, but he pointed out that he had been elected after campaigning on a platform calling for fiscal responsibility.

Police Contract And Equipment Criticized By Residents, Officers

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150919054907/http://articles.philly.com/1986-06-04/news/26043334_1_police-contract-police-radios-first-aid

By Nicole Brodeur, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: June 04, 1986

The Delran Township Council faced stiff criticism from residents and members of the Delran Patrolmen's Association last week concerning the 1985 police contract, maintenance of police equipment and security.

During the council's monthly meeting last Wednesday, resident Michael Myers expressed dissatisfaction with the 1985 contract calling for increases of 7 percent for the 21-member police force. He said the contract, reached May 12 through arbitration, underpaid the officers.

"I'm embarrassed that you cannot or choose not to be more responsible, to be more cooperative in paying the police force," Myers said.

"Security should be a priority," Myers continued. "Take a step back and see the total picture."

In addition, Myers said, police radios were faulty. Officers were having difficulty, he said, transmitting and receiving messages on their portable radios.

"Be aware that this possible life-threatening situation has been brought to your attention," he said. "You have been warned."

Mayor Richard Knight said township officials were aware of the need for new equipment and had plans to replace some police radios with funds from this year's capital budget.

"I will spend taxpayers' money wisely," the mayor said. "I will replace the equipment when the money is there to replace it."

He refused, however, to discuss the police contract, saying that the arbitrator's decision was final and "history." Negotiations on the 1986 contract are still under way.

But Knight's response did not satisfy some residents and a few members of the DPA, who stood to argue points that eventually encompassed first-aid equipment and training as well as the lack of a holding cell in police headquarters at the township building on Chester Avenue.

Knight agreed that security facilities were lacking, mostly because of money problems. Prisoners are handcuffed to a pipe or to folding chairs, a police spokesman said.

"We have to deal with the physical plan that we have," Knight said, noting that the township building was constructed in 1968.

Resident Tony Caracci told Knight of watching a police officer try to administer first aid to a traffic accident victim a few weeks ago.

"He went to the trunk of the car and pulled out a box that looked like it had been around for 30 years," Caracci said. "Inside it were three band aids and a roll of tape."

Knight said that he was unaware of the need to upgrade first-aid equipment.

Council President Walter Shultz, however, had his own solution - take the first-aid kits out of the police cars altogether.

"That's brilliant," one resident said.

"So let the guy die, right?" another resident said of an imaginary victim in need of first aid.

Speaking as a resident, William Pfeffer, who is also president of the patrolmen's association, accused the council of ignoring its responsibility for the protection and safety of the citizens by not replacing needed equipment.

Council member Maryann Rivell said that two years ago, new council members were "stunned" by the lack of equipment. But since then, she said, the council had made efforts to improve the situation.

In December 1984, the council approved the appointment of two new officers and appropriated $55,000 for weapons and equipment. In 1985, the council allocated $59,000 for equipment for the police department and this year, $73,200.

"I'm not embarrassed for what I have done," Knight said. "Nobody works harder than this mayor and council. We are at (the police department's) beck and call."

Car Hits Cycle; Trooper Injured

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150919044029/http://articles.philly.com/1986-06-06/news/26044818_1_car-hits-cycle-trooper-sports-car

By Susan Levine, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: June 06, 1986

A New Jersey state trooper remained in critical condition yesterday with massive internal injuries suffered when his motorcycle was struck head-on by a sports car Wednesday in Burlington County.

The trooper, William Smith, 23, was driving west on Hartford Road in Delran Township shortly after noon when he was hit by a car driven by Mark Perry, 17, of Medford, who had received his driver's license two days earlier, police said.

Smith, a Delran resident who was off duty at the time, was thrown about 40 feet, police said. He was taken to the the Cooper Hospital-University Medical Center's Trauma Center in Camden, where he remained yesterday.

Police said Perry, who was traveling east on Hartford Road, had tried to pass a school bus from Holy Cross High School in Delran and had misjudged the distance between his car and Smith's motorcycle. Perry was charged with reckless driving and improper passing.

Perry suffered an injured elbow, and a 16-year-old passenger in his car suffered facial cuts and bruises, police said. Both were treated at Zurbrugg Memorial Hospital's Riverside Division and released.

Dinner, Parade Mark Fire Company's 100th

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150914074027/http://articles.philly.com/1986-06-15/news/26045983_1_parade-route-parade-coordinators-firehouse

By Charlie Frush, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: June 15, 1986

Beverly Fire Company No. 1 officially marks its 100th anniversary this week with a dinner on Thursday honoring its life members and a parade on Saturday that is expected to attract more than 75 pieces of apparatus from fire companies and emergency squads in surrounding communities.

The parade will start at noon in Edgewater Park at the Bowl-O-Mat on Cooper Street, near Route 130. It will then follow Cooper Street to Beverly and wind through Beverly before breaking up at the Beverly No. 1 Firehouse.

Marching on foot will be the Riverside String Band, members of the fire company and its color guard, and members of Hope Hose Co. No. 2, Beverly City's other fire company. Hope Hose will be marking its 100th anniversity later this year.

In addition, the procession will include units from Burlington City, Burlington Township, Cinnaminson, Delanco, Delran, Florence, Hainesport, Hamilton Township, Masonville (Mount Laurel), Mount Holly, Palmyra, Riverside, Riverton, Rancocas (Westampton) and Willingboro, according to Dominick Gioffre, chairman of the parade committee.

The parade route follows Cooper Street to Penn Street near the river in Beverly, goes west on Penn to Broad, south on Broad to Pine Street, east on Pine to Laurel and north on Laurel to Fire Co. No. 1's firehouse at Oak and Laurel Streets, where the marchers will pass a reviewing stand. County fire marshal Evan Kline will announce the fire companies as they pass. Trophies will be awarded for top equipment in 16 categories.

The officials on the reviewing stand will include state Sen. Catherine A. Costa of Willingboro (D., Burlington), Assemblyman Thomas P. Foy of Edgewater Park (D., Burlington), and Assemblywoman Barbara F. Kalik of Willingboro (D., Burlington). Costa will read a proclamation from the state.

Beverly Mayor Frank Costello and Edgewater Park Mayor John R. Snively will march in the parade, Gioffre said, as will Beverly Fire Chief Pat Richards of Hope Hose and assistant chief Vern Jackson of Fire Company No. 1.

After the parade ends, No. 1's 100-year-old brass bell, newly refurbished, will be unveiled atop the monument erected for it alongside the firehouse, and a four-tier, 200-pound birthday cake will be cut and served along with other refreshments for firefighters and officials.

Parade coordinators will be Capt. Wylie Johnson and Lt. Fred Desjardins of No. 1 and Capt. Barry Petty of the No. 1 emergency squad.

Thursday's catered dinner will be held at the No. 1 firehouse at 7 p.m. and will honor 49 life members with 25 years or more service and 19 with 50 years or more of service, including the eldest living life member, Edgar Heisler, 98, of Walton Avenue, who has been on the rolls for 72 years.

About 150 are expected at the dinner, during which Costello will make surprise presentations. Guests will include officials of both Beverly and Edgewater Park and fire commissioners from both communities. Dilwyn Stevenson, a life member of No. 1, will be master of ceremonies.

Ex-officer Testifies He Bought Cocaine

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150912112414/http://articles.philly.com/1986-06-18/news/26045957_1_cocaine-drug-deal-prison-term

By Jane Cope, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: June 18, 1986

A former Delran Township patrolman testified yesterday in Burlington County Superior Court that he and a neighbor bought and tried to sell 10 ounces of cocaine in the fall of 1984.

James Stach is testifying against Paul Porto, both of Hunters Glen Apartments in Delran, as part of a plea agreement reached with the Burlington County prosecutor's office in February 1985. Porto is being tried on charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to possess the narcotic with the intention of distributing the drug.

Stach testified that he agreed to purchase the cocaine from a friend, Michael Elkins, because of Stach's financial problems. Elkins, of Miami, pleaded guilty in the case and is serving a 12-year prison term.

The former patrolman pleaded guilty last year to charges of official misconduct and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. In return for his assistance in the investigation and testimony, Stach testified, he will receive a 20-year prison term and special security measures while incarcerated.

Elkins wanted $14,000 for the cocaine, Stach said, adding he did not have the money. The former patrolman testified he needed someone to help finance the purchase and sale of the cocaine.

"I did not have the connections, personally, and I knew Paul probably would," Stach said.

Porto said he could line up buyers in Pennsylvania and share the profits, Stach said. The two Delran men met Elkins to pick up the cocaine at a hotel room in Baltimore, Stach testified. The men paid Elkins $1,000 and promised to pay the remainder within a day, Stach said.

Porto stored the cocaine in his apartment, Stach said. However, Porto's buyer refused to purchase the drugs. "We reached a point when Mr. Porto said he could not find anyone to buy it," Stach added.

At that point, Stach said, he arranged the sale of the cocaine. After he got off duty on Oct. 27, 1984, Stach said, he got the cocaine from Porto and made the sale. However, he sold the drug to an informant for the county prosecutor's office and was immediately arrested, Stach said.

At first, Stach told investigators he acted alone in the drug deal. But, several hours later, he decided to cooperate with the prosecutor's office and named Porto and Elkins, Stach said. "Basically, I gave the second statement after I had the chance to sit and think," he said.

Stach arranged a meeting with Porto on Nov. 19, 1984. The former patrolman testifed he wore a transmitter under his clothing and taped the conversation. Portions of the conversation, played in the Mount Holly courtroom, contained the voices of Stach, Porto and his wife, Stella. Stella Porto is not facing any criminal charges.

Stella Porto's voice was left on the audio cassette in order for the conversation to make sense, Superior Court Judge Cornelius P. Sullivan told the jury.

On the tape, Porto can be heard instructing Stach how to handle a proposed meeting with the drug suppliers in Florida. "Sure, tell them we'll meet them," Porto could be heard saying on the tape.

Because of the amount of the cocaine and the purity of the drug, Porto could face a possible life term in prison. Stach is expected to be cross- examined by defense attorney Richard Friedman this morning.

Ex-officer Admits He Sold Drugs Before His Arrest

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150913033653/http://articles.philly.com/1986-06-19/news/26044024_1_cocaine-deal-drug-sales-informant

By Jane Cope, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: June 19, 1986

A former Delran patrolman admitted yesterday in Burlington County Superior Court that he had sold drugs on six occasions before he was arrested for a cocaine deal in the fall of 1984.

James Stach of Delran is the primary state witness in the conspiracy trial of Paul Porto, also of Delran. Porto is charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine. On Tuesday, Stach testified that the two men bought and tried to sell 10 ounces of cocaine in October 1984.

Stach was arrested after he sold the cocaine to a county drug informant on Oct. 27, 1984. Yesterday, under cross-examination by defense attorney Richard Friedman, Stach admitted that he had not disclosed earlier methamphetamine sales in his statements to investigators.

Those earlier sales were the reason he decided to sell the cocaine to the female informant, Stach said. "I knew that she could probably buy it because I had sold her methamphetamines on several occasions prior to that," he said.

Stach is testifying as part of a plea agreement reached with the Burlington County prosecutor's office last year. In return for his testimony, Stach will receive a 20-year prison term and protection while he is in prison.

On Tuesday, Stach testified that he and Porto picked up the cocaine from Michael Elkins of Miami at a hotel room in Baltimore. Elkins pleaded guilty in the case and is serving a 12-year prison term.

According to Stach's testimony, Porto's prospective buyers refused to buy the cocaine. At that point, Stach testified, he arranged to sell the cocaine.

In his first statement to investigators, Stach did not mention Porto's involvement. Stach said he later changed his mind and decided to tell everything. However, he admitted he never told investigators about the other drug sales.

"Which statement are you trying to follow truthfully?" Friedman asked. ''At the time of the statement, you certainly never told them you had any other drug dealing. That was a lie."

"Yes, sir," answered Stach, adding that he told the assistant prosecutor, Frank Hughes, about the other drug sales before the trial began.

Out of the presence of the jury, Stach testified that he obtained the methamphetamine from Porto.

The former patrolman also admitted that he had not initially named Porto as an accomplice for fear that Porto, a neighbor, would harm his family.

"I know he has a bad temper," Stach said. "I've seen him when he's mad and I've heard him make statements about what he's going to do to people, and I've seen him beat his wife when he's mad."

Stach said that his vehicles have been vandalized since his arrest. In addition, his wife has received telephone calls from an unidentified person warning that he should not say anything, Stach said.

Despite Friedman's argument that Stach's statements would be prejudicial to Porto, Judge Cornelius P. Sullivan permitted the jury to hear the testimony. The former patrolman was explaining his hesitation in naming Porto and not making allegations, the judge said.

The attorneys are expected to make their closing arguments to the jury this morning.

Delran Auction Clears $1600 - And Some Space

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150912004229/http://articles.philly.com/1986-07-16/news/26098383_1_auction-saturday-morning-township-officials-cars

By Nicole Brodeur, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: July 16, 1986

The auctioneer didn't discuss what had happened to the cars that sat mangled, twisted, smashed, sideswiped and stagnant along the fence. Their headlights, if they were still intact, had probably shed light on a gruesome scene or two, or the face of a disoriented driver, a police officer's notepad, or had maybe reflected off splinters of shattered glass.

ut the people that stood scattered about the yard in the back of the Delran Township Building weren't interested in the history of the cars. To them, the vehicles were just the excess metal around healthy transmissions or the holders of salvageable engines.

Whatever they were worth, the township wanted to get rid of them. So the 14 township-owned vehicles and 41 other items were put on the block at an auction Saturday morning. Some of the items and the cars had been impounded by the police.

One of the vehicles, a mangled 1976 Toyota that had been hit head-on, was sold to Richard B. Argenti of Burlington City for $1.

"I'm nuts, I needed the carburetor," Argenti said with a smile. I buy and sell cars anyhow." He said he had some friends who would drag the silver- colored car out of the yard and to a place where the transmission would be removed. The rest of the car, he said, would be sold for scrap.

"I saw the accident the car was in," Argenti said, noting that the driver was killed. "I drove by that night. It bothered me at the time that it happened, but now. . . ."

Just a few yards away, Dan Nieder, of Brooks Trucking and Parking Service in Delran had just bought the township-owned car that had rammed into the Toyota.

"I'm gonna tow it and take the engine out," Nieder said, while behind him, a few of his friends milled about the blue sedan. The keys were still in the ignition, and clean squares of the upholstery had been removed.

Across the lot and out of the way, sat a green 1960 International Harvester van. It had been the object of a few jokes from the 15 people who had come to the auction - nobody wanted to buy it, nobody wanted to get stuck with it.

The van had seen better days. According to Officer Leonard Mongo, who ran the auction, it was once used by the Delran Marksmen's Club to transport guns to and from the township rifle range on Taylor's Lane.

"Now it's been sitting around for at least three years," Mongo said. "I thought somebody would fix it up. It's got racks in there," he said.

But when the van came up for sale, there were no takers. Mongo asked to start the bidding at $1. The men just looked at each other. Some laughed.

Finally, at the last minute, when everyone had gone into the township building to bid on other pieces of equipment, someone bought the van for 25 cents.

"They bought it just to get rid of it," Mongo said with a laugh.

The auction was called after township officials realized they had to get rid of some of the ancient office equipment and vehicles that had accumulated behind and below the township building. Some of the items, specifically, a set of sports car headlight covers, were confiscated by the police after an arrest. But Mongo said if someone had come to the auction and recognized something that had been stolen, it would be returned without question.

"There's no hassle," said Mongo, who mastered his auctioneering skills during years of township bicycle auctions. "If someone can show proof of ownership, if it's theirs . . . it's theirs."

According to township administrator Matthew Watkins, the $1,600 raised at the auction will go into the township's general fund and be put toward the purchase of equipment for the police department.

"This is all surplus property from the township," Watkins said. "This is stuff that isn't worth anything anymore . . . nothing of major value."

But to some of the buyers, the dusty equipment was worth much more. All it needed was a good cleaning, a little oil, a new wire. If anyone could, the folks gathered at the auction could bring the items back to life. And then sell them for twice what they paid.

"This is a real Jim Dandy," Mongo said, lifting a worn, dirty plastic kitchen clock from one of the many boxes that littered the basement floor of the township building. Laughter rippled through the room. After a few half- hearted attempts to start the bidding, Mongo dropped the worn clock into the box containing the sports car headlight covers, as a bonus prize. Easily worth more than $50, the covers had gone for $1.

From there, the bidding picked up. A fleet of typewriters, both manual and electric - one that typed in Russian was sold for less than $5 - went quickly. Copiers were sold for $10 each. One ancient typewriter was sold with an equally dated adding machine - 50 cents for the pair.

"What was that, Daddy?" asked a little girl who watched the proceedings from her father's lap.

"That was a spark-plug cleaner, honey."

"Oh," she said.

When all the items were sold - with the exception of two pieces of microfilm equipment - the buyers carted their treasures out to their pickups and their sedans, set on some intense repairs.

"I enjoyed it," Mongo said. "And I think the people did, too."

Tracking The Mob In Cherry Hill

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20160321213312/http://articles.philly.com/1986-07-20/news/26096021_1_mob-leader-mob-figures-la-cosa-nostra

By Dwight Ott and Laura Quinn, Inquirer Staff Writers

Posted: July 20, 1986

As far back as 1945, when a gang of armed men burst into the former Casablanca nightclub and turned the place upside down in search of the reputed racketeer, Marco Reginelli, the area now known as Cherry Hill appealed to mobsters.

The history of the township includes episodes of mob violence that seem to come right out of gangster movies.

There was the time in 1965 when real estate developer Frank Adamucci was gunned down in the lobby of the Rickshaw Inn as customers milled about. And there was the unsolved murder in 1972 of a clerk at the Country Squire Motel - also believed by police to be a mob hit.

Whether organized crime still thrives in the township, though, is a matter of debate.

In 1983, President Reagan formed a commission to study the patterns of organized crime in this country, and in April, the panel released its findings.

In a brief reference, the report said the Cherry Hill area continued to be a center of activity for the Sicilian Mafia, or La Cosa Nostra, meaning, loosely translated from Italian, our thing.

The mention of Cherry Hill refers not only to the township, but also to the area surrounding it. Cherry Hill is but a portion of the mob scene in the area, which includes the home of a reputed mob leader in Pennsauken, a restaurant in Voorhees hit by a suspected mob-related arson, alleged mob residences in Delran and purported hangouts in Gloucester Township.

However, because members of the Gambino crime family (Until 1976, Carlo Gambino was the reputed head of the family, the largest of New York City's five organized-crime families, and was believed to be the model for the main character in The Godfather) lived in Cherry Hill Township during the 1970s and 1980s, the township gained a reputation as a center of mob activity.

That reputation, and the fact that it has persisted, irks Richard Tomlinson. He says Cherry Hill is no longer a center for the mob.

Tomlinson should know.

Since the early 1970s, when members of the Gambino crime family began to settle in Cherry Hill, Tomlinson has tracked the movements of mob figures in the township.

He has sat outside their homes late at night and inspected their bodies in the morgue. He has memorized the names of their children and wives, the colors and models of their cars.

Tomlinson is an investigator for the Cherry Hill Township Police Department's Special Investigations Unit - the only suburban police unit in South Jersey formed primarily to investigate organized crime.

Cherry Hill police got into the business by necessity.

Since the days when Reginelli reputedly controlled the numbers rackets in South Jersey, the township occasionally has been home to mob figures. And although the mobsters were no doubt reluctant to bring their violent activities to their doorsteps, some of it naturally came with the territory. With the Gambino crime family in the 1970s came a sharp increase in mob- related violence. The township Police Department found itself handicapped.

In 1972, the Special Investigations Unit was set up. Between 1978 and 1983, when mob-related violence was at its peak, it was Tomlinson who was called to investigate suspicious fires at some local pizza parlors suspected of being connected to the mob or to help identify a corpse stuffed into a car trunk.

Recently, with local leaders of the Gambino crime family dead, living elsewhere or serving time in jail, things are slower for the investigator, he said. But Cherry Hill has not rid itself of the threat of organized crime.

"It's like General Motors - if two or three of the directors die, that doesn't mean the company is going to fold," said Lt. Arthur Saul, an investigator for the Delran Police Department who has studied the activities of the Gambino crime family. "The things that attracted (the Gambinos) are still here."

Tomlinson basically agreed. "We've reduced (the Gambinos') influence here," he said. "But there's always somebody around to fill (their) shoes."

*

Tomlinson's office seems far removed from the violent world of mob crime - unless one looks on the wall behind his desk. There is a gruesome photograph of Salvatore Testa, whose body was found on a roadside in Gloucester Township on Sept. 14, 1984. Testa, 28, of Philadelphia, was a close ally of Nicodemo ''Little Nicky" Scarfo, the reputed head of organized crime in Philadelphia and Atlantic City.

Fourteen years ago, Tomlinson, now 42, was a detective for the township police department before he was appointed to start the organized-crime unit. His interest in the subject had already been sparked by a series of unexplained murders.

For instance, William Baglivo, 42, of Camden, a clerk at the Country Squire Motel on Route 70, was found shot to death in the motel's rear office on July 29, 1972. Tomlinson said an investigation revealed that Baglivo owed a considerable amount of money to mob loan sharks.

"We found that with these kinds of murders, we were lacking intelligence about these individuals involved," said Lt. William Moffett, 37, now head of the unit.

At the time, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Jersey State Police and the Camden County Prosecutor's Office were in charge of organized- crime investigations. The Cherry Hill Police Department rarely participated.

"Here we were relying on outside agencies to come in and fill us in about things going on in our own town," Moffett said. "The unit was formed because we felt we should get on top of things."

Tomlinson, who measures his words carefully and talks in the dry tone of a detective who has seen it all, has gained most of his knowledge of the workings of organized crime through experience. "The real nuts and bolts of it is really participation," said his supervisor, Moffett. "It's the experience that makes the difference."

Relative to Philadelphia, New York and Atlantic City, Cherry Hill has never been a big center of mob activity. However, mob figures have occasionally set up their homes and businesses in the township.

(Many families with the same surnames as reputed mob figures but who are in no way involved in mob activities also live in the area. Law enforcement officials use the Gambino name to loosely describe a confederation of organized-crime associates and crime members - some related by blood and some named Gambino, but not all carrying that name - who followed the late Carlo Gambino or John Gotti, the reputed current head of the crime family.)

Before the 1970s, organized crime in South Jersey took directions from the Angelo Bruno crime family in Philadelphia and, before that, from Reginelli in Camden, according to law enforcement officials.

Its main activities were loan sharking, illegal gambling and labor racketeering. Mob figures had been attracted to South Jersey since the 1940s because of its proximity to Philadelphia and major highways to New York and Atlantic City, periods of booming construction and the high number of establishments with liquor licenses, according to law-enforcement officials. No doubt, such attractions as the race track, and even the resort life at the shore, enhanced the area's appeal.

In its 407-page report, the President's Commission on Organized Crime said in April, "Among the most important new developments in our understanding of organized crime is the disclosure that an element of the Sicilian La Cosa Nostra is operating in the United States.

"The number of Sicilian La Cosa Nostra members in this country is unclear," the report said. "However, they are believed to be concentrated mainly in the northeastern U.S., particularly in New York City and around Cherry Hill and Sayreville, N.J."

The members of the Gambino crime family belong to the Sicilian faction of the Mafia and specialize in drug trafficking, according to Tomlinson.

In the late 1970s, reputed local members of the crime family moved from Delran to Cherry Hill. They included Giuseppe and Rosario Gambino, brothers, and their brother-in-law Erasmo Gambino, all of whom settled in the Northwoods section of Cherry Hill, according to law-enforcement officials.

Reputed Bruno family member Raymond "Long John" Martorano lived only a few blocks away, and other members of the Bruno crime family reputedly lived in Cherry Hill.

Law-enforcement officials believe that the Gambinos struck a deal with the Bruno crime family to operate in South Jersey. Carlo Gambino was a close friend of Bruno's.

According to law-enforcement officials, Bruno acknowledged that he met with Carlo Gambino's successor, Paul Castellano, at the former Valentino's restaurant on Haddonfield Road in 1978 to discuss the future of the Gambino crime family in South Jersey.

The Gambinos were given free rein to absorb lucrative drug markets in South Jersey, the officials said.

Both Tomlinson and Moffett said members of the Gambino crime family were attracted to Cherry Hill for many of the same reasons that lawyers, doctors and business executives have been drawn to the area.

"They like the affluence," Moffett said. "They send their kids to Catholic schools. They are regular community members. You talk to their neighbors and they say they're great."

However, they said the Gambino crime family was also attracted to Cherry Hill because of its proximity to major highways to New York and Atlantic City, a good location for drug trafficking.

Saul, the investigator for the Delran Police Department who has studied the movements of the Gambino crime family, had other explanations. "Look at the runaway growth, the potential for labor infiltration, business protection and infiltration of (construction) labor unions," he said.

The Gambino crime family did little business in Cherry Hill itself, Tomlinson said. However, it sometimes set up pizza shops, a common mob method for laundering money, he said, although it was never proved that the Gambinos were using them for that purpose.

And with the crime family's presence came more violence, Moffett said. ''The level of violence they used was greater than in the past," he said.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Cherry Hill organized-crime unit was called to investigate a number of crimes that police have linked to the Gambino crime family or its associates:

* In January 1982, the body of Pietro Inzerillo Jr., 32, was found in the trunk of a car in the parking lot of a Mount Laurel hotel. Law-enforcement officials identified Inzerillo as a Gambino crime associate. The murder was never solved.

* The body of Salvatore Sollena, 34, was found in the trunk of a car in a parking lot on the Collingswood Circle on Nov. 10, 1983. A few days later, Matteo Sollena, 37, his brother, was found in Evesham in the trunk of a car left on the roadside. Both murders remain unsolved.

* Valentino's restaurant, owned by Giuseppe and Rosario Gambino, burned in 1982. The day before the fire, Franchin's, a disco and restaurant, located a short distance away at the Ellisburg Circle, was damaged in a fire. Franchin's owner has not been connected to the mob. Both fires were believed to be mob-related arsons, although no one was charged with the crimes.

* Rudy V's Pizza in the Ellisburg Shopping Center, owned by Rosario and Erasmo Gambino; Rocco's Pizza on Church Road; Scotto's Pizza in the Cherry Hill Mall, and Sbarro's in the Echelon Mall were all either destroyed or burned in fires between 1978 and 1983. They were all suspected arsons, and the Gambino crime family, though never charged, was believed to be involved in at least two of the fires, according to police.

* A woman was suspected of helping launder mob money through a Cherry Hill bank in 1978. With the help of information provided by the organized-crime unit's investigation, the FBI filed federal charges against the woman.

Reminders of that era still exist. Valentino's stands on Haddonfield Road, its windows boarded up. For-sale signs still stand on the lawns of some former Gambino residences.

However, the Gambino crime family is mostly gone. Rosario and Erasmo Gambino are both serving time in prison; they were convicted in October 1984 of marketing wholesale quantities of heroin in South Jersey. Giuseppe Gambino, convicted in absentia of heroin trafficking in Italy, has moved back to New York.

"Their legitimate businesses have closed," Tomlinson said. "You don't see them pursuing any others in the area."

According to Moffett, organized-crime activity in Cherry Hill has dropped significantly. "I don't know of any businesses (the mob) controls right now," he said.

Today, Tomlinson, who supervises two undercover agents, spends less time on the streets.

With the departure of the Gambino crime family, he spends more time looking into problems - drug trafficking, prostitution and illegal gambling - that may be tied to organized crime.

However, Tomlinson's job is also preventive, and, in that sense, his work on organized crime is never through.

As Saul of Delran put it: "The things that attracted the Gambinos are still here."

"Our best weapon in dealing with organized crime," Moffett said, "is to do a good, thorough investigation and background check on incoming licenses for businesses and find out who's behind the curtain."

The unit can recommend that the Township Council deny approval for a liquor license and thus prevent suspected mob figures from establishing roots in the area.

In 1978, for instance, the Township Council withdrew an amusement license for the Late Show, a Route 70 dinner club owned by Rosario Gambino, after the unit investigated Gambino's background.

The unit is hampered because, although its members often relay information to the FBI, they do not have access to many of the federal agency's files, Moffett said. It also is not free to follow a lead into other municipalities. ''Involvement in drugs is difficult for us, as a small municipal department, to control because you're talking an international operation," Tomlinson said.

The Sicilian Mafia is not the unit's only concern. Groups such as the so- called Black Mafia have also been known to operate in the area.

Tomlinson attributed to the Black Mafia the 1973 gangland-style murders of Major B. Coxson and three members of his family at their home in Cherry Hill. Coxson was a wealthy business executive and ex-convict and was reputedly killed over debts and narcotics dealings, police said at the time.

"When we talk organized crime, we're not just talking about the Black Mafia or the Gambinos," Tomlinson added. "It could be Chinese, Hispanics, anyone organized where two or three people or more get together to conspire to commit a series of crimes."

Ex-officer In Delran Gets Prison Sold Cocaine To Undercover Agent

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150918230031/http://articles.philly.com/1986-07-30/news/26095456_1_cocaine-informant-undercover-agent

By Jane Cope, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: July 30, 1986

A former Delran Township police officer, arrested after he sold cocaine to an undercover agent in 1984, was sentenced to 18 years in prison by a Burlington County Superior Court judge yesterday.

James E. Stach, a 17-year veteran of the township force and a resident of Hunters Glen Apartments, Delran, received the sentence on the charge of distributing more than 1 ounce of cocaine. Testing conducted by the county forensic laboratory on the 10 ounces of cocaine sold by Stach showed the drug to be 88.9 percent pure.

Concurrently with the longer term, Stach will serve a seven-year sentence for a charge of official misconduct, said Judge Cornelius P. Sullivan.

Stach, who pleaded guilty to the charges last year, willingly testified against his former conspirators, said Frank Hughes, assistant county prosecutor. Last month, Stach testified against Paul Porto, a neighbor who had fronted the money to buy the narcotic. Porto was convicted and is to be sentenced in about six weeks. Stach has testified against five other people in the case.

"Mr. Stach's evidence and cooperation was crucial to the state," said Hughes, who called the former police officer's conduct "outrageous."

The two men had bought and tried sell 10 ounces of cocaine in October 1984, Stach testified at Porto's trial last month.

Stach said he had made arrangements to sell the cocaine while on duty. When Porto's prospective buyers refused to purchase the cocaine, he decided to try to sell the drug after he got off duty. The former patrolman was arrested on Oct. 27, 1984, after he sold the drug to a county drug informant.

Stach decided to sell cocaine because he wanted his sons to attend college, defense attorney James Rosenberg said before sentencing. One son, who was seated in the audience, cried silently as the attorney spoke.

"At a point in time, James Stach made a very, very serious error in judgment," Rosenberg said. "That does not excuse the conditions that bring Mr. Stach before this court."

However, Rosenberg said Stach had fully cooperated with the prosecutor's office and even wore a recorder to tape conversations with Porto. Stach's testimony makes him a target of possible violence, both in prison and after his release, the attorney said.

"He will never know the relative security that the rest of us know," Rosenberg said.

Sullivan agreed with the attorney that the former patrolman might be in danger while he serves his term. The state Department of Corrections will ensure that Stach will be placed in a secure environment, the judge said.

However, the judge denied a request by the defense attorney to release Stach for 72 hours so Stach could complete several business matters. Last month, Sullivan had permitted Porto several days to tend to his business of restoring antique cars.

The former patrolman, whose parents, wife and children attended the sentencing, remained emotionless during the proceeding. "I'm sorry for what I did to my family," Stach said.

Delran Man Gets Jail In Cocaine Case

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150929112103/http://articles.philly.com/1986-08-06/news/26064656_1_jail-in-cocaine-case-pure-cocaine-lengthy-term

By Jane Cope, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: August 06, 1986

A Delran man, found guilty in June of conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine in 1984, was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in prison by a Burlington County Superior Court judge.

"It does not give me pleasure to sentence you as severely as I intend to do," Judge Cornelius P. Sullivan said to Paul Porto, 39, before pronouncing sentence. Porto, of Hunters Glen Apartments, must serve 10 years of his term before he is eligible for parole, the judge said.

On June 19, a jury found Porto guilty of conspiring with a neighbor, former Delran Township patrolman James Stach, to sell 10 ounces of 88.9 percent pure cocaine in the fall of 1984.

The evidence against Porto came almost exclusively from Stach, who testified against his neighbor and co-conspirator. The former patrolman agreed to assist authorities after he was arrested and charged with selling cocaine to an undercover narcotics agent on Oct. 27, 1984.

According to Stach's testimony, Porto had agreed to put up the money for the purchase of the cocaine and to line up buyers for it. However, Porto's buyers refused to buy the cocaine, and Stach, while on duty, made arrangements to sell the drug, according to testimony.

Before pronouncing sentence, Sullivan said to Porto, "I think you are a professional criminal. I think you've masked a life of crime with a layer of respectability."

Earlier, defense attorney Richard Friedman reminded the judge that Porto, who has three prior convictions, had not served time in prison for 14 years. ''He is a person who, once he comes through this ordeal, will avoid the criminal courts," Friedman said.

However, the judge noted that eight years ago, Porto received probation for an offense. "You were not leading a crime-free life," Sullivan said to the defendant.

"This was a scheme generated by Mr. Stach to distribute a large quantity of cocaine," Sullivan said. "It's clear to me that Mr. Stach knew you as an underworld character. If you were out on the street, I would expect you to commit more crimes."

Both Stach and Porto could have been sentenced to life terms because of the high purity and quantity of the cocaine, said Frank J. Hughes Jr., assistant prosecutor. He urged the judge to give Porto a lengthy term to deter others from dealing in drugs. "A lengthy period of incarceration is just here," Hughes said.

The judge also denied Friedman's motion for a new trial and his application for bail pending appeal.

Last week, the judge sentenced Stach to an 18-year prison sentence. Yesterday, Sullivan said Stach's prison sentence could have been longer. "If not for his cooperation and lack of criminal record, it would have been more severe," the judge said.

Police-study Report Due In September

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150926185256/http://articles.philly.com/1986-08-06/news/26065530_1_police-study-joint-police-report

By Charlie Frush, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: August 06, 1986

The report of the state Division of Local Government Services on the feasibility of creating a joint police department for Beverly, Delanco and Edgewater Park will be released in September.

The field work on the study is "virtually finished," said division official Bill Struwe, "and the report is in the writing process. I think we got the last piece of information we needed in June."

Struwe would not divulge what the report would recommend. "I'm not saying a thing about it," he said. The three communities "don't know what we're going to say, and I don't want anything to leak out."

Struwe said that the report would be delivered to the three communities in September "barring unforeseen circumstances." The director of the department must approve the report before it is released, he added.

The governing bodies of the three communities passed resolutions in December requesting the jointure study, but a great deal of opposition to combining the three police departments surfaced at subsequent public meetings.

A previous jointure study, conducted in 1979, involved the three municipalities as well as Delran and Riverside. Delran pulled out, however, and, in November 1979, only voters in Beverly approved forming a joint police force. So the plan was dropped.

The state agency will be assisting a jointure study this fall involving the Boroughs of Hillsdale and Woodcliff Lake in Bergen County, said Struwe.

"They have a citizens committee doing the study," said Struwe. The Division of Local Government Services will be a resource center for them, he said.

Delanco To Dedicate Firehouse With A Parade And Ceremonies

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150903065822/http://articles.philly.com/1986-10-08/news/26059928_1_new-firehouse-fire-station-new-station

By Charlie Frush, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: October 08, 1986

Delanco's Washington Fire Company will dedicate its new $585,000 firehouse on Saturday with a parade, ceremonies at both the old and the new firehouses and the housing of the Delanco Emergency Squad's new ambulance. There will be an open house after the ceremonies.

Nineteen fire companies from 10 communities will participate in the parade, which begins at 1:30 p.m. at the old firehouse on Union Avenue and proceeds up Burlington Avenue to the new station.

Construction of the new firehouse, which is built of concrete block with a brick facing and a metal roof, began in spring of 1985.

The new station was built on a tract of more than 10 acres in the 1800 block of Burlington Avenue that was donated by the fire company.

The project was principally financed through a $350,000 bond issue and $109,000 from the fire company's building fund.

The fire company moved in its equipment in February, although landscaping did not begin until May, and contractors completed the trim and electrical work through the summer.

Saturday's ceremonies will begin at the old firehouse with prayers by the pastors of Dobbins Memorial Church and Delanco Presbyterian Church, followed by reminiscences from several life members of the Washington Fire Company. Then, an old American flag will be lowered from the flagpole at the site, folded and placed in the company's 1953 Seagraves pumper, the old fire station's siren will be blown, and all the life members will board the pumper and ride it in the parade to the new firehouse.

Fire units in the parade will include both Beverly City fire companies, four from Burlington City, three from Burlington Township, Cinnaminson, Delanco, Delran, Riverside, Riverton, two from Westampton and three from Willingboro, according to Ed Reynolds, parade chairman. In addition, there will be ambulance squads from Beverly, Burlington, Riverside, Palmyra and Willingboro. John Zuber, a Delanco exempt fireman, is parade marshal and chairman of the dedication cermonies. (An exempt fireman is one with seven years membership who has answered at least 60 percent of the fire calls.)

Bands that will march in the parade include the Liberty Band of Cinnaminson, the Golden Eagle Band of Mount Holly, the Delanco Township School Band, and the Riverside String Band.

At the new firehouse, a new American flag will be presented to Delanco Fire Chief Gary Stahl. William Gamble, chairman of the township's board of fire commissioners, will be master of ceremonies.

Refreshments will be served at the open house, and the public will be able to inspect the facility. The fire station has five vehicle bays, a meeting room, a lounge, a chief's office, a large kitchen, a storage room and a utility room.

The station has five pieces of equipment in addition to the chief's car and van: the emergency squad's two ambulances and three pumpers.

The old firehouse is up for sale, and, according to Reynolds, a potential buyer is considering the facility for use as a food-distribution warehouse and an apartment.

The old station's siren will be removed, but it will not be reinstalled at the new firehouse. Firefighters are alerted to fire calls by pagers, Reynolds said.

Community Help Credited In Ending Delran Break-ins

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150918232211/http://articles.philly.com/1987-03-18/news/26218426_1_burglary-spree-break-ins-township-police

By Michael Franolich, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: March 18, 1987

The vigilance of Hunters Glen Apartments employees and some Baylor Street residents has helped police put an end to a string of burglaries and thefts in Delran Township that began in January.

Twelve burglaries occurred at the Hunters Glen complex and eight took place in the Delcrest and Cambridge sections of the township. Suspects have been arrested, and police said the two series of break-ins were unrelated.

Calm was restored among residents of Hunter's Glen, on Route 130, after weeks of anxiety and a dozen burglaries, most of them believed to have been committed in the daytime, since Jan. 1, said township police Officer Leonard Mongo.

During the burglary spree, $4,000 in jewelry, cash and electronic gear were stolen from 12 apartments in the 88-building complex, which has 1,200 apartments. The spree ended after two residents of the complex were arrested and charged with one count each of burglary and theft

Tony Williams, 18, of Building 85, and Kenyon Matthews, 21, of Building 14, were charged in connection with the morning burglary of an apartment in Building 51 on March 3.

Williams admitted to theft of almost $500 worth of jewelry from the apartment and led police to where it was kept, police said. Williams also identified Matthews as his accomplice, police said. Matthews also was identified by maintenance workers as having been in the area of the apartment at about the time of the break-in, police said.

"We are commending our employees," said Elizabeth Drake, Hunters Glen office manager.

Drake said the 100-member maintenance crew began taking note of suspicious activity around the complex after the break-ins started.

Debbie Walker, whose apartment was burglarized in late February, said that the break-ins produced concern among neighbors.

"People began looking out for each other more," Walker said. After the break-in, Walker said, she installed alarms on her windows and doors. All the apartments burglarized were on the first floors, and the burglars apparently gained entry by forcing open front doors, rear windows and sliding glass doors, Mongo said.

"We stepped up our patrols in the area as soon as we realized what was going on," Mongo said. Police also praised residents in the 700 block of Baylor Street for their help in stopping burglaries committed in the Delcrest and Cambridge sections.

Several Baylor Street residents called police the morning of Feb. 23 after seeing some people knock on doors at homes and then break the windows of one home.

Those calls led to the arrest that night of three Willingboro residents, each charged with eight counts of burglary and seven counts of theft in connection with the burglaries. A fourth suspect later was apprehended and charged, Mongo said.

Arrested were Dion Ashley, 18, of Ballad Lane; Joseph Smith, 18, of Buckeye Lane, and Kenneth Mewborn, 18, of Briardale Lane, all of Willingboro. Also arrested was a 16-year-old male from Willingboro whose name and address were withheld because of his age.

An estimated $25,000 in cash and items were stolen, but none has been recovered, Mongo said. One of the suspects told police that all of the stolen items were sold in Camden.

"If they get $25 for a $200 VCR, they're satisfied," Mongo said. "That's a $25 profit."

A Sweet Life For Beekeepers, It Can Mean Fun, Money And Honey

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150924071634/http://articles.philly.com/1987-06-03/news/26185505_1_beekeeping-single-hive-bee-pollination

By Jane Cope, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: June 03, 1987

With the quiet drone of her two hives in the background, Nancy W. Jones spooned into a jar the sweet reward of beekeeping: smooth, thick, amber- colored honey that glistened in the sunlight.

Honey and beekeeping have long been part of man's existence. One of the oldest-known sweeteners, honey is mentioned dozens of times in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Domestic bees date at least as far back as the Egypt of the Pharaohs.

Beekeeping is an art, said Jones, who keeps bees as a hobby and has five hives, including two on her Delran property. Three are kept on a farm in Cinnaminson. "It's interpreting what Mother Nature has created."

For some apiarists - the scientific term for people who raise bees - beekeeping can be a profitable endeavor, either through selling honey or using the bees to pollinate crops, a crucial element in fruit and berry farming.

In New Jersey, the apple, blueberry and cranberry crops depend on bee pollination, the process in which pollen, a plant's yellow, powder-like male sex cells, are transferred to plant's female parts. The pollen is spread by the bees as they go from flower to flower collecting nectar to make honey.

But there are not enough beekeepers in the state to supply bees for pollination. Often, hives are brought in from out of state, according to Bill Metterhouse, director of the state Department of Agriculture's Division of Plant Industry.

Without the honeybee - which is the official state insect - New Jersey would have poor blueberry and cranberry crops, Metterhouse said, and would lose as much as 50 percent of those crops from lack of pollination.

Only about 10 percent of the state's 6,000 beekeepers keep bees either to sell honey and other bee products or rent the hives for crop pollination; most do it as a hobby, according to Jack Matthenius, apiarist at the Department of Agriculture.

During the 1960s, interest in beekeeping grew in response to an increasing interest in organic gardening and natural foods, he said.

"One of the nice things about bees is you don't have to be there every day," added Matthenius, who estimated that a hive can be checked as seldom as five times a year.

William A. Slimm of Riverside took up beekeeping four years ago to develop as supplement to his federal pension when he eventually retires.

Slimm sells honey at roadside stands, fairs and farmer's markets and rents some of his hives for crop pollination.

A single hive, which can consist of as many as 50,000 bees, can be rented for $20 to $27, depending on the size of the hive and the area to be pollinated, Slimm said. In addition to apples, blueberries and cranberries, cantaloupes and pumpkins benefit from bee pollination, he said.

Blueberries must be pollinated by the end of May and take about three weeks, Slimm said. Cranberries bloom in June and take several weeks to pollinate, he said, but apples, which also bloom in the spring, take only four to five days.

Cranberry pollen is too heavy for consistent wind pollination, so farmers depend on insect pollination of the crop, Slimm said, adding that "the honeybee is the best pollinator."

Moving the hives from one farm to another is best accomplished when the bees are not active, said Slimm. "Most beekeepers move their bees at night, when they don't fly."

Occasionally, during a daytime move, a hive will break or spill if it is loaded improperly or is shifted incorrectly from one location to another, Slimm said. "We don't have too many of those spills around here," he added.

Slimm estimated that between selling honey and renting hives, an apiarist with 100 hives can make $6,000 to $8,000 annually, doing the beekeeping part time. But he said that about five years of experience in management and care of the hives is necessary before a beekeeper can realize a profit.

Slimm acquired most of his knowledge of bees from his father, who kept bees in the 1930s and '40s. He recalled that his father gave up beekeeping after the use of pesticides increased and hives were destroyed.

Although his own son is not interested in beekeeping, Slimm is continuing the tradition of passing apiarian knowledge from one generation to another. A neighbor, 10-year-old Mark Latwinas, became interested in beekeeping two years ago and now has three hives.

The two often work the hives together, checking to make sure the bees are building cones and the queen is laying eggs. "All you have to do is go down and check them sometimes," said Mark. "I think I'm going to do it all my life. It's fun."

Many apiarists in South Jersey can trace their interest in beekeeping to relatives. Andrew Litecky, who runs a machine shop in Mount Holly, is the third generation of beekeepers in his family.

"There's an awful lot to learn about beekeeping," said Litecky, whose grandfather and father both kept bees. "It's an art, it's not a science."

A would-be beekeeper must learn how to open a hive without getting stung and how to make sure each hive has a good queen, he said.

Beekeeping is a hobby for Litecky, but at one time he kept more than 100 hives on his property and sold the honey, he said. But because of a spraying accident in 1980, in which a wind shift blew pesticide over his property, he now has only 15 hives.

Apiarists now are urged by the state Department of Environmental Protection to report the location of their hives to the state so they can be notified of any spraying that might endanger the bees and can move the hives to a safe place.

Charles F. Forsell 3d, of Delran, said he hopes his two young sons will share his interest in bees. "This is a trade that has to be handed down. You don't learn beekeeping overnight. It's a continuing education. Just when you think you know it, something changes."

As older apiarists die, their knowledge of beekeeping dies with them, he said.

Forsell, who has 150 hives, said a keen interest in the environment and nutrition sparked his interest in beekeeping. His knowledge was gained from a former high school teacher in Mount Holly, who shared his beekeeping expertise.

Everett P. Bradley, who was then in his 70s, took the time to explain beekeeping, Forsell said. More important, Bradley allowed him to make his own mistakes and learn from them, Forsell said.

"He taught me everything I know about bees," Forsell said. When Bradley died in 1984, Forsell took over his apiary.

Bees live only about six weeks, and they hibernate in the winter, Forsell said. There may be thousands of worker bees - called drones - in a hive, but there is only one queen bee. The hives themselves resemble chests of drawers. They consist of boxes stacked on top of one another and bear little resemblance to the cone-shaped hives that Winnie-the-Pooh often raided.

As soon as the hive is opened, the monotone of the bees' buzz can be heard. Each box holds frames where the queen bee lays her eggs and the worker bees build honeycombs. When enough honey is stored, the bees will cap the comb. Beekeepers remove the cap and drain the honey from the combs.

Before entering a hive, the beekeeper will don as little or as much equipment as desired. Jones wears a heavy jumpsuit, gloves and a screened hat. Slimm prefers to work without protection.

"If a beekeeper does not get stung, he's doing something wrong," said Slimm, who has been stung as many as 20 times in one day.

Most beekeepers agree that the best way to avoid being stung is to leave the bees alone.

An old wives' tale holds that bees are attracted to the color yellow, but bees are attracted to both bright and dark colors, according to Slimm. Even so, "they won't sting you unless you swat at them," he said.

Most beekeepers try to enter the hives on sunny days, when many bees are out gathering water, nectar and pollen. A rainy or cloudy day can present problems for the beekeeper.

The bees "just can't get out," said Slimm. "They're just like kids - they get irritable."

Slimm and some other beekeepers participate in the Burlington County Extension Service's swarm-control program and are called in to gather up swarming bees. He said a swarm usually is caused by a hive splitting, which happens when a it becomes overcrowded.

Little seems to deter a beekeeper's interest, however. Delran hobbyist Jones said that she and her husband, Paul W. Keiser, hope to incorporate their bees' honey into the line of organically grown produce and natural foods they distribute to local markets through their company, Organically Yours.

Despite the loss of most of his hives seven years ago, Litecky continues to keep bees and does not foresee quitting.

"I intend to keep them forever," he said. "I don't smoke, and I don't drink, and I don't go to Atlantic City. I fool with bees."

Officer's Extra Jobs Secure A Few Extras

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150912055453/http://articles.philly.com/1987-08-12/news/26170126_1_moonlighting-security-jobs-extra-jobs

By Mike Franolich, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: August 12, 1987

As a veteran officer with the Delran Township Police Department, Len Mongo, 37, makes nearly $30,000 and still moonlights for extra money.

He has worked on the Delran force for 17 years, and his wife, Dorothy, is an English teacher in the Riverside school system. After 18 years of marriage, they have three children. They bought a home in the township a year ago. The upkeep of the home is typical, often leaving Mongo to reflect on where the money goes.

"The money is everywhere," he said, "the carpets, the curtains, who knows. I just give it to my wife."

"Right now the bathroom needs to be remodeled," he said. "With the new red lights they're putting in on Route 130, I might work a few days on traffic for them (the private contractor). With that money I can buy the bathroom fixtures."

This is the third home owned by the Mongos, and the money he earns moonlighting, about $1,500 annually, helped with the down payment. In some years, he has earned more than $3,000 by working security jobs.

For some, moonlighting is a habit that dies hard, and Len and Dorothy Mongo know their expenses are about to go up again. Daughter Shannon, 16, is almost ready to leave the nest and go to college. Sadye, 6, will be entering first grade, and she and her brother, Scott, 14, will need back-to-school clothes and supplies.

"It's always nice to have extra money," Mongo said. "But when you've got kids ready to go to college . . . " Mongo can intone a list of financial demands and their priority the way a child recites the alphabet. "C" is a big letter. It stands for college, clothing and crayons.

"Life isn't bad, don't get me wrong," Mongo said, "but it's nice to pick up the extra money when it's there."

It wasn't always that way. "We've worked hard for years, and now Len moonlights for extra money," Dorothy Mongo said. "A lot of other cops work 40 hours on the side because they have to," she said.

Mongo began moonlighting to help Dorothy Mongo finish her college education. After that he worked at his father's Cinnaminson gas station. He has since taken security jobs at high school dances, football games and local grocery stores.

"People think you're working on township time when they see you in uniform in the grocery store," Mongo said.

But look closer, and one sees that the officer is not in a township police uniform. The trousers look the same, but the sleeve patches, the tin, the hats, the leather holsters are all private issue. The sidearms are not service revolvers. They are the off-duty weapons owned by many police officers. The look-alike uniforms are used because of the township's policy prohibiting officers from wearing the official uniform when moonlighting on a security job, officials said.

"We get a lot of verbal abuse," Mongo said. "People say, 'Those cops are always hanging around at the ShopRite. Don't they ever work?' "

Delran, like all the other county departments that were contacted, places limits on officer moonlighting. Working 40 hours as a police officer and 30 additional hours on another job can get to a person, police officers say.

"That's where the chief comes in," Mongo said. "We try not to work more than 20 hours a week (on a second job).

"While they were working on the Bridgeboro Bridge (construction) all Delran officers were there at first," he said. "Then Riverside, Delanco and Edgewater Park cops. You see these big dollar signs in front of your eyes, but then you really start dragging."

Although there have been no moonlighting-related disability or insurance claims among township police officers, Mongo said, there was an officer who burned the candle at both ends and found there was no middle. He was suspended for calling in sick too often.

This year Mongo has made about $600 moonlighting and expects to earn at least $200 more. He will report the extra income, he said, and then his bathroom will be completed.

Fire Districts Oppose Water-rate Increase

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150926124224/http://articles.philly.com/1987-08-26/news/26169943_1_hydrants-rate-increases-water-bills

By Ray Rinaldi, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: August 26, 1987

Dominic Sacca Jr., a fire commissioner with District 3 in Cherry Hill, admitted that he is hot under the collar about recent rate increases proposed by the New Jersey Water Co. (NJWC).

"I have no problem with the increases proposed for households and businesses," Sacca said. "But I do object to the manner in which fire companies are charged."

Sacca has company. During a public hearing at Cherry Hill Township's municipal building last week, three Cherry Hill fire districts - Districts 1, 3 and 5 - emerged as vociferous opponents to NJWC's proposed $5.7 million rate increase.

Although the increase, if approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU), would increase residential customers' water bills by an average of $25 a year, dozens of New Jersey fire districts, departments and volunteer fire units who rely on water supplied by NJWC may be particularly hard hit.

The proposed rates would increase flat fees that fire departments are assessed each quarter for hydrants. The assessment for each hydrant would rise from $60.75 to $67.50, a rate compilation based on a study commissioned by the NJWC.

Sacca, who estimated the number of hydrants in his district at 300, said the new rates would increase quarterly payments from about $18,225 to about $20,250, representing an annual increase of more than $8,000.

"It just isn't fair to pay for the rental of hydrants that are seldom used," Sacca said. "If we bought water based on actual usage, our bill would be a drop in the bucket compared to what we use now."

NJWC provides 130,000 connections to household and commercial users in communities scattered throughout six New Jersey counties, serving an estimated 270,000 people who do not have access to municipal water service or rely on their own well water.

The proposed overall increase of 11 percent would affect users in 23 communities in Camden County, 13 in Gloucester County and nine in Burlington County. Portions of Atlantic, Cape May, Ocean and Warren Counties also would be affected.

The company's Haddon District provides service to Audubon, Audubon Park, Barrington, Bellmawr, Camden (11th and 12 Wards), Cherry Hill Township, Clementon, Gibbsboro, Gloucester Township, Haddon Heights, Haddon Township, Haddonfield, Hi-Nella, Laurel Springs, Lawnside, Lindenwold, Magnolia, Maple Shade, Mount Laurel, Oaklyn, Pennsauken Township, Runnemede, Somerdale, Stratford and Voorhees.

It also provides water to Mount Ephraim, which has its own equipment and resells it to users.

The company's Delaware Valley District provides service to parts of Burlington County, including Beverly, Bordentown, Delanco, Delran, Edgewater Park, Florence, Palmyra, Riverside and Riverton.

A second public hearing on the NJWC request will be Sept. 2 at the Township Building in Egg Harbor Township, Atlantic County.

Michael Chern, community relations director with NJWC, said any reduction in the flat fees for fire hydrants would result in higher increases for residential and commercial users.

NJWC's current proposal would raise quarterly payments of the average household or commercial user from $44.64 to $49.59 - or about $20 a year.

"The increases are important to our ongoing program of preventive maintenance," Chern said.

"If we don't replace old equipment when it is needed, water waste increases and users wind up paying for water they don't use . . . water lost through such things as leaky pipes," Chern said. Rate increases also are necessitated by increased labor costs, higher insurance rates and interest payments on $14 million the company already has borrowed for construction projects.

The BPU will consider the NJWC request and any objections, including those already filed by the Cherry Hill fire districts, at the Office of Administrative Law in Newark on Sept. 23, beginning at 2 p.m.

A final decision is expected in March.

A Thief Attracts Unwanted Attention

Source: http://articles.philly.com/1987-12-21/news/26206751_1_thief-loot-shoppers

By Mike Franolich, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: December 21, 1987

An alleged thief who stuffed his clothes so full of money that his shirt buttons popped left a trail of dollar bills yesterday that attracted the attention of busy holiday shoppers - and eventually the police - at the Millside Shopping Center on Route 130 in Delran.

The shoppers scrambled to pick up $1,000 in wet loot that Bruce Wright left in his wake as he fled in the rain from a 7-Eleven store yesterday morning, Delran Patrolman Russ Aitkens said. There was so much money, a police spokesman said, it "dripped out of the shirt and parka."

But it wasn't the loose loot that got him in trouble.

Aitkens said he realized something was wrong when he noticed a 7-Eleven employee chasing Wright. Wright, 35, of Camden City, was charged with stealing several thousand dollars from the convenience store. A bail hearing was set for today.

The shoppers turned over their early Christmas presents to police. All the missing money was accounted for, Aitkens said.

Man Rounds Up Loose Robbery Loot

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20151228224310/http://articles.philly.com/1987-12-22/news/26205003_1_parking-lot-police-car-deputy-police

By Virginia M. Resnik, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: December 22, 1987

A Burlington County man recovered thousands of dollars in stolen money that was clutched in the hands of passers-by and lying on a 7-Eleven parking lot, where it had been dropped Sunday by an unlucky holdup suspect who was fleeing police.

"There are still honest people in this world," said Officer Leonard Mongo of the Delran Township police, speaking of George Carucci, whom he identified as "an elderly man" from nearby Riverside Township.

Minutes after a robber assaulted the store's manager and stuffed his shirt with the store's daily receipts, Carucci picked the rain-sodden money up from the ground, collected it from onlookers and then gave it back to store manager Pat Rossi, Mongo said.

Later, Rossi was stunned when he counted the money and found that all but $40 was accounted for. The remaining $40 was later found inside the store.

A witness said that although some people were reluctant to give back the money, Carucci managed to talk all of them into doing so.

About 9 a.m. Sunday, Rossi was counting the day's receipts in a back room of the store on Haines Mill Road, police said. He left the room for less than a minute, and when he returned, he was knocked down by a man whose shirt was stuffed with the money.

With Rossi shouting and pursuing him, the robbery suspect, Bruce B. Wright, 35, of the 3100 block of Westfield Avenue, Camden, ran from the store and directly in front of a police car. All the while, he was dropping the loot, police said.

Wright doubled back and tried to get into a car that he is believed to have stolen earlier in Moorestown. As police from several municipalities arrived, he tried to run off but was halted in the parking lot by Robert Frumento, the deputy police chief of Oaklyn, who was off duty and there by chance.

Meanwhile, Carucci was collecting the money.

"This guy really deserves some credit," Mongo said. "I can't believe he got it all back. You know, it's Christmastime and people can use the money."

Carucci could not be reached for comment yesterday. Edward Linsley, the store's owner, said he had not decided how to reward him or the police officers involved. Linsley and police declined to disclose exactly how much money was taken.

Wright was being held yesterday in the Burlington County Jail awaiting a bail hearing. He was charged with theft, simple assault, possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of a hypodermic syringe.

Inspectors, Finances Strained By Fire Rules

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150922182953/http://articles.philly.com/1988-06-15/news/26267652_1_uniform-fire-safety-code-inspections-fire-prevention-measures

By Charlie Frush and Carol D. Leonnig, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: June 15, 1988

When Robert Ciasca got the word in 1985 that fire safety officials in Trenton were working on a Uniform Fire Safety Code for the state, he thought it was a great idea.

With the state muscle behind him, thought Ciasca, the Burlington Township fire chief, some teeth could be put into his inspections of those potential firetraps that had long gnawed at his fire-prevention consciousness.

But three years later, that bright promise has faded for Ciasca.

What he regards as an endless list of state-required inspections has strapped the efforts of his staff to meet deadlines. And the paper work - a given in almost any state operation - has become insurmountable, requiring a full-time secretary.

Many of the buildings in Burlington Township were probably built after the imposition of construction codes that automatically called for certain fire- prevention features. But the new fire code's plethora of regulations still keep Ciasca and his staff of six part-time inspectors busy running across town, inspecting more than 400 buildings a year and making sure the proper forms are signed and sealed.

Ciasca's situation is not unique. Fire officials from Camden, Gloucester and Burlington Counties could tell similar tales as they struggle to bring their communities into compliance with the strict but complex code.

*

The Uniform Fire Safety Code, adopted in February 1985, mandates across- the-state fire prevention measures for buildings based on use and relative level of fire hazard. Designed by a team from the state Bureau of Fire Safety after several boarding home fires in 1980 and 1981, the code replaces the outdated hodgepodge of municipal codes.

It calls for annual inspections at "life hazard" sites, a category that encompasses everything from boarding homes to airport hangars, and inspections every three months for malls, nightclubs, theaters and amusement parks. State officials called for frequent monitoring of amusement parks after a fire in May 1984 at Six Flags Great Adventure killed eight teenagers.

Inspection fees attached to the code can be hefty.

Fees for "life hazard" structures range from $75 to $1,800. And "special activities," such as erecting a kiosk in a mall or resurfacing a bowling alley, need permits from the local fire chiefs at costs from $50 to $1,000.

Fees are sent to the state Bureau of Fire Safety, which keeps 20 percent and returns the rest to the municipal fire officials.

Though some towns, about 115 out of the state's 567 municipalities, have opted to let the state do their inspections, most of the work falls to local officials.

George Miller, the bureau's assistant director, said some towns give up the inspection autonomy because of their small size, as in the case of Riverside and Beverly City. But others, such as Ocean City, let the state do the inspection because the fire inspector is far from popular in a hotel-dotted town, where putting smoke detectors on every floor can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars in compliance expenses.

But the inspection fees themselves may appear minor when compared with the cost of renovating buildings to bring them into compliance.

Some local school administrators, particularly those with buildings in older neighborhoods, estimate they will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to meet the requirements and pay inspection fees.

Starting with minimum prevention standards previously enforced by most municipalities, the code phases in more stringent regulations in three stages.

The first stage, effective last June, required more fire exits, different types of fire exit doors, and improved alarm systems in high-density buildings such as hospitals, nightclubs, assembly halls and theaters. As an additional precaution for nightclubs, the code required automatic sprinkler systems.

The second of the three deadlines arrives tomorrow and focuses primarily on enclosed shopping malls, large retail stores, prisons, boarding homes, high- rise buildings, restaurants and bars. Those structures are required to have special exits, improved fire detection systems and emergency lighting.

The third stage, due June 1989, emphasizes schools, low-rise buildings and apartment complexes.

After the compliance date for each stage, local fire officials can write up a violation notice for those businesses not up to standard. Ignoring the official's deadline to right the wrong can be costly - up to $1,000 for each day the necessary changes are not completed.

Although high-rise uses come under the purview of phase two of the fire code, most such buildings of recent construction are already in compliance because they met the strictures of the state's 1975 Uniform Construction Code.

According to David G. Aron, Camden County fire marshal, the fire code ''cannot exceed standards (mandated) by the state construction code." The fire code, Aron said, "is meant to take buildings constructed before the construction code (of 1975) and bring them up to those standards."

Fire marshals generally deem that anything built after 1975 is in compliance with the fire code.

Thus, the two highest commercial buildings in Burlington County, 6000 and 8000 Midlantic Dr. in Mount Laurel, at the intersection of Route 38 and Interstate 295, faced no retrofit problems.

On each of these two buildings there is a seven-story structure and a four- story structure and tying them together is a glass atrium - another feature the fire code focuses on.

"Where each of those buildings joins the atrium structure, we have fire doors that come out of the ceilings," said Richard L. Phillips, operations manager for real estate services for Whitesell Construction Co. Inc., which owns the properties.

The fire doors would seal off smoke emanating from the atrium. Once the doors are down, evacuation fans at the top of the atrium would exhaust smoke.

"Twice a year, we have to fill the atrium with smoke bombs just to test it," Phillips said.

Nor is the new code a problem for Burlington County's highest apartment building, the seven-story Kings Highway Towers at Lenola Road and Kings Highway in Maple Shade. The Towers have sprinklers in the trash rooms, pull alarms on every floor and extinguishers on every floor, three fire towers in every building, and smoke detectors in the hallways and throughout the apartments.

Enclosed shopping malls must have exit signs, emergency lighting and sufficient means of exit. For emergency lighting, the malls must have a backup system in the event publicly furnished electrical power fails.

"There was not a whole lot of retrofitting to do," according to Louis Kouch, general manager at the Deptford Mall, which is 13 years old. "The sprinkler system was up to code, the emergency lighting was up to code, the exit lighting is already there.

"When the mall opened in 1975, the emergency lighting - the ingress, egress lighting - was set up so we would have two sources of power coming in so that with automatic switching, if the power went out on one, it would automatically switch over to the other. However, it was decided . . . that this was not a fail-safe system" because the mall could lose power from both sources - "and we have," Kouch said. So they installed propane gas-operated generators that produce emergency light within 20 seconds of a power failure.

At Cherry Hill Mall, which opened in 1961, Carl Lovern, assistant marketing manager, says the shopping center's generators are equipped with a device that turns them on once a week and runs them for more than 20 minutes to check them and to recharge the starting batteries. Lovern said the mall was retrofitted in 1975 with sprinklers in both the common areas and in individual stores.

And as costly as the fire code retrofits have been, it might get worse.

Camden County Fire Marshal Aron says he believes that the federal government may soon be putting the regulative arm on the high-rise hotels along Route 70 in Cherry Hill.

"I think the federal government is going to come through and make them sprinkler them," Aron said, because of the potential threat of loss of life in a high-rise fire.

"The high-rise hotels do have sprinklered areas - halls, common areas," he said, "but the federal government would require each room to be sprinklered, plus the hallways."

For schools, the primary push of the new code is installation of central wiring that would link fire detection systems throughout the school and alert the local fire department as soon as fire was detected.

Many schools, as in Willingboro and in Delran, will need the central panel because classroom windows, deemed safe exits under municipal codes, are no longer considered state-of-the-art in fire prevention.

The wiring is also required because manual pull alarms, such a temptation for prankster students and the old hallmark of fire prevention in schools, are not au courant in modern fire safety.

Several school districts are busy replanning their budgets to accommodate the expense of the expected renovations but are confused about what steps to take. Administrators in several school districts say they may need to postpone other projects and use those funds to meet the June 1989 deadline.

Mount Holly schools are in relatively good shape for compliance next year, but school board secretary George Drozdowski said the district postponed renovations in its Holbein Middle School until it can meet with a member of the Trenton bureau staff to clarify the district's responsibilities under the code.

Drozdowski called the code, "pretty confusing," because of the myriad regulations and complex cross-referencing system that shows who must comply with what and when.

Mount Holly budgeted an extra $30,000 to $40,000 to handle whatever the state may dish out, and has spent $4,000 to update a central monitor for their oldest school, Folwell Elementary, built in the early 1950s.

John Soltesz, facility manager for Cinnaminson schools, estimates that retrofitting the district high school may cost upward of $600,000 because its auditorium is used as a theater and may need sprinklers. Soltesz said he was waiting for the town fire official to inspect the property and offer a ruling.

Ralph Clifford, business administrator for Delran schools, said he was angry about the state's notion that schools can pay for any project that comes down the pike.

"Everyone thinks we're rich in schools, but it's taxpayers' money."

In anticipation of the compliance deadline, Delran replaced the central panel in its middle school at a cost of $27,000. Bill Blatchley, director of building and grounds for Delran, said an additional $5,000 will be spent to add flashing lights to fire alarms districtwide so that hearing-impaired people can be alerted.

Though Burlington City replaced a faulty central panel in its high school and installed sprinklers in its boiler rooms, business manager Bill Ryan predicts that the process of putting in new alarms districtwide may not be completed by June 1989.

Delanco's school superintendent, Joseph Miller, calls the permit fees ''doomsday" for community groups who rely on school facilities for various activities. Miller contends that some groups - from the local Brownie troup to the aerobics class - may have to cease operations for lack of appropriate, inexpensive space to use.

Miller also worries about how literally the local officials will impose the state's suggested registration/inspection fees. Municipalities are free to alter the amount by ordinance, although most inspectors plan to follow the state's suggestions.

In addition to past or current costs of retrofitting to meet the fire code, school board officials are often torn about what to do with an old school that will otherwise be needed in a rapidly growing community.

That's the problem in Woolwich Township in Gloucester County, where the Board of Education is between a rock and a hard place on the four-room Clifford School.

Long-range plans call for abandoning the building, according to school Superintendent James Sarruda, but not because of the fire code.

"People keep moving into Woolwich and we are 22 square miles of farm land, so growth is inevitable," Sarruda said.

The issue is, does the school board pour new money into an old school that it may want to use for a few years, even though it's got a date with the wrecking ball or a real estate agent?

Woolwich is in the midst of a $2.8 million renovation that includes fire- code retrofits.

"When the state came through (with the new fire code), our fire system proved to be inoperative and in an attempt to satisfy what we knew was coming down the road, we decided on a complete renovation of the Walter Hill School," Sarruda said.

The Hill School, built in 1922, now meets the uniform code, Sarruda said, with visual signals - flashing lights - for the deaf; an audio alarm; pull alarms at heights reachable by a handicapped child; fire extinguishers where mandated - the cafeterias, for example.

"Obstructions in the hallways had to be eliminated; we had to upgrade our locks and hardware - it was expensive," Sarruda said. "Just for the fire alarms, we spent $30,000. Believe it or not, it's still ongoing. We are in an overall renovation program, bringing the entire building - classroom size and lighting - to the standards of the 1990s."

Furthermore, Sarruda said, "I'm almost positive we're looking at a June 1989 retrofit. By June 1989, all buildings in New Jersey must be upgraded to meet upgraded requirements."

Guidelines For Delran Police Set Racial Complaint Brings Response

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150915011022/http://articles.philly.com/1988-07-09/news/26235661_1_township-officials-naacp-chapter-justice-department

By Ray Rinaldi, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: July 09, 1988

Responding to charges that a township detective discriminated against a youth last year because he was black, Delran police have established a set of guidelines aimed at improving relations between police and the black community, officials said yesterday.

The guidelines, consisting of six "operating principles," spell out the responsibilities of the township police officers to uphold the law in the township and to treat all citizens equally "without regard to race, color, creed or sex."

Their adoption came as a result of talks conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice involving the police department, township officials and the Southern Burlington County Chapter of the NAACP, which filed the discrimination grievance with the Justice Department last year.

The original NAACP complaint grew out of an incident on Feb. 9, 1987, in which a black youth, Omar Jackson, then 15, said he was unfairly treated in a police investigation of a credit-card fraud.

The NAACP's complaint said that Det. Edward Perrino, who is white, targeted Jackson as a suspect in the matter based on faulty evidence. Perrino than conducted an investigation into the case in a manner that was "permeated with racism," according to the NAACP.

Jackson was later arrested on charges of theft by deception, but the charges were eventually dropped, said Roosevelt Nesmith, president of the NAACP chapter.

Township officials said the Justice Department inquiry cleared Perrino and the Delran Police Department of any wrongdoing in the case. "The investigation showed no negative problems inherent in our police department. It received a clean bill of health," said Delran Mayor Richard Knight.

Knight said the township supported the adoption of the principles as a way to prevent similar incidents from occurring.

"Anything that helps the police department and the community work together is a good thing," said Knight.

Nesmith, who disputes the township contention that the inquiry found no negligence on the part of the police, called the adoption of the principles a step in the right direction.

"They've changed a lot of their attitudes since our approach," he said, ''Now it's a matter of waiting to see what happens."

Senate Studies A Bill To Aid Fire Companies

Source: http://articles.philly.com/1988-10-02/news/26269429_1_fire-companies-fire-district-local-firefighters

By Marla Weinstein, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: October 02, 1988

A bill designed to relieve the financial straits of many volunteer fire companies recently was approved by the New Jersey General Assembly and has a good chance of becoming law, according to its sponsors.

Co-sponsored by Assemblymen Thomas P. Foy (D., Burlington-Camden) and Edward H. Salmon (D., Cape May-Cumberland), the legislation raises the maximum amount that a municipality may contribute to fire companies to $90,000.

There are 76 fire companies in Burlington County, most of which depend on their local municipal government for an annual contribution to their budgets. The Foy-Salmon bill passed in the Assembly by a 69-to-1 vote Sept. 8.

A municipality may contribute up to $30,000 of its budget toward its volunteer company. But, Foy and others argued that with the rising costs of fire equipment, local governments should be able to allocate more money to firefighters.

According to a Senate spokesperson, the bill is in the Senate County and Municipal Government Committee and is not yet scheduled for a vote.

Tom Vincz, the Assembly's Democratic spokesman, said the bill permits local governments to give more money if they choose; the $90,000 maximum is ''permissive, not mandatory."

Some local firefighters were unaware of the bill but said they think some kind of legislation increasing funds is definitely needed.

Robert Hoffman is the fire chief in Burlington City, one of the many townships that rely on municipal allocations for funds. Hoffman said that his department's biggest problem is the cost of buying new equipment. Beginning next month, firefighting equipment must meet certain standards set by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

"With this new law, our gear must meet standards, and that's the biggest problem we have because gear is expensive," Hoffman said. "Any extra money we can get is really welcomed."

Cinnaminson's Fire Capt. Bob Martens agreed with Hoffman's assessment, but he added that the fire company would not benefit from its enactment.

Cinnaminson is one of about a dozen Burlington County municipalities that does not rely on municipal governments for contributions, but instead is funded through a local purpose tax. Martens praised the legislation, however. Cinnaminson's fire company recently purchased a new pumper truck for about $200,000, and now less than one year later, the cost for the same truck has risen to $263,000.

Jim Turcich, treasurer of Delran's fire district, said there are many costs to fire companies that people are not aware of. For example, he said that each fire company must pay a hydrant rental fee for its water supply. This can cost from $50,000 to $100,000 each year.

Assemblyman Salmon said he is optimistic that the Senate bill will pass.

"We need to send a strong message that we are supportive of our volunteer workers. . . . It's been a long time since there's been an increase," Salmon said.

The Foy-Salmon bill is similar to one that was approved by the Assembly in 1986, but died in the Senate. It was sponsored by the late Assemblyman Guy Muziani. (R., Cape May-Cumberland).

Salmon and Foy altered the original bill slightly and are both optimistic that this time it will become law.

Delran School Fires Were Set, Officials Say

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20151225192948/http://articles.philly.com/1988-10-25/news/26272685_1_suspicious-fires-marshal-school-maintenance-workers

By Mike Franolich, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: October 25, 1988

Two suspicious fires that occurred during the weekend at Holy Cross High School in Delran were intentionally set, officials said yesterday.

The fires caused minor damage to the school at Route 130 and Chester Avenue but did not interrupt classes, said Delran Patrol Officer Leonard Mongo.

"It looks like we have an arsonist on our hands and he's got a grudge against Holy Cross," Mongo said. Investigators had no suspects in the case yesterday, officials said.

The most recent fire was discovered at 3:35 a.m. yesterday when Patrol Officer John Johnston 3d saw smoke billowing out the windows of the school cafeteria, Mongo said. Two Delran fire companies were called and quickly contained the fire to a storage room near the cafeteria, said James McKendrick, an assistant Burlington County fire marshal.

The fire destroyed field-hockey equipment and decorations kept in the cinder-block room, McKendrick said.

The remnants of a second fire, which had begun after 6 p.m. Saturday in the concession stand at the school's football field, were discovered about 7 a.m. Sunday by school maintenance workers, officials said. The fire was set in six areas of the cinder-block building, but did not spread, McKendrick said. Damage to the roof, a bench and desks was estimated at $500, Mongo said.

Halloween Happenings In Area Towns

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20151222042404/http://articles.philly.com/1988-10-26/news/26274429_1_curfews-halloween-party-traditional-trick-or-treating

By Nancy Reuter, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: October 26, 1988

Haunted houses, parties and parades will mark the observance of Halloween in several area towns this year, with some of the festivities taking place before the actual holiday Monday night.

Besides these special events, the traditional trick-or-treating will take place in each town on Monday, with some municipalities regulating the time that little ghosties and ghoulies can make their rounds. In addition, a number of towns will be enforcing curfews for several days previous to the 31st.

Here is a town-by-town listing of events, regulations, and curfews:

Beverly: The municipality's normal curfew, 10 p.m. for those under age 18, will remain in effect. Trick-or-treaters should be on the way home by 9:30 p.m.

Burlington City: There are no special trick-or-treating regulations or curfews.

Burlington Township: There will be a mall-wide trick-or-treat give-away at Burlington Center on Route 541 from 6-8 p.m. Monday. There will also be costume contests for children of all ages, beginning at 8 p.m. Monday in the center court. Prizes will be awarded.

There are no special trick-or-treating regulations or curfews in the township.

Cinnaminson: There are no special trick-or-treating regulations or curfews.

Delanco: There are no special trick-or-treating regulations or curfews.

Delran: A Halloween party social, sponsored by the Delran Emergency Squad, will be held 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Saturday at Delran Fire House No. 2, Alden Avenue. There will be music, an open bar, hot and cold buffet, and prizes for costumes. Tickets are $12.50 per person. For more information, call 461-9616.

The municipality's normal curfew, 10:30 p.m. for those under age 17, will remain in effect.

Eastampton: A curfew of 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. is now effect and will continue through Nov. 7, for those under 18, unless accompanied by a guardian, parent or custodian.

Edgewater Park: There are no special trick-or-treating regulations or curfews.

Hainesport: A Halloween parade will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday in the center of town, beginning and ending at the Hainesport School on Broad Street.

The municipality's regular curfew, 10 p.m. for those under age 18, will remain in effect.

Lumberton: The fourth annual Halloween party, sponsored by the township's Recreation Commission, will be held Sunday at the fire hall, Main Street. Pre- schoolers up to age 6 may attend from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., and children in grades one through eight may attend from 8-9 p.m. There will be prizes, refreshments and a program.

There are no special trick-or-treating regulations or curfews.

Medford: Walks through the woods and a "haunted village" will be held Friday through Monday, 7-10 p.m., at YMCA Camp Matollionequay/Camp Ockanickon, Stokes Road. Coffee and cider will be available. Admission is $2.50 per person. For more information, call 654-8225.

Trick-or-treating in the township will be held from 3-8 p.m. People handing out treats should leave the exterior lights of their houses on; those who will no be handing out treats should keep the exterior lights off. Children should use flashlights if they are out after dark.

Medford Lakes: There are no special trick-or-treating regulations or curfews.

Mount Holly: "Fright Night" at the Historic 1810 Burlington County Prison Museum, High Street, will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday. Witches, ghosts, vampires and other monsters will be roaming the cells, and there will be a fortune teller, clowns, face painter, music and refreshments in the exercise yard. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by adults. A $1 donation will be accepted.

New Hanover: The municipality's normal curfew, 10 p.m. for those under age 18, will remain in effect.

Palmyra: A Halloween parade will be held on Friday, with registration and lineup beginning at 6 p.m., and the parade starting at 7 p.m. The parade will form at the Nu-Way Market on Broad Street in Riverton, and continue on Broad to the legion field in Palmyra.

Pemberton Borough: A Halloween craft party for ages 6 through 12 will be held at the Pemberton Community Library, Egbert Street, at 3:30 p.m. Monday. Children may come in costume. Sign-ups are now being taken for the event.

Pemberton Township: The Whitesbog Halloween Party, sponsored the Whitesbog Preservation Trust, will be held this weekend at the village, Whitesbog Road, near Browns Mills. There will be storytellers, hayrides, hot cider and night hikes. The Friday and Saturday programs are sold out, but tickets still remain for the Sunday program, which runs from 7:30 p.m. to midnight. Tickets are $10 and must be reserved in advance. For more information, call 893-4646.

The municipality's normal curfew, 10 p.m. for those under age 17, will remain in effect.

Riverside: Borough officials could not be reached..

Riverton: A Halloween parade will be held on Friday, with registration and lineup beginning at 6 p.m., and the parade starting at 7 p.m. The parade will form at the Nu-Way Market on Broad Street in Riverton, and continue on Broad to the legion field in Palmyra.

Shamong: There are no special trick-or-treating regulations or curfews.

Southampton: There are no special trick-or-treating regulations or curfews.

Springfield: A Halloween dance will be held Saturday, 9 p.m.-1 a.m., at the Jacksonville Community Center, Jacksonville-Jobstown Road. There will be music, beer, a light buffet, prizes and set-ups. Tickets are $20 per couple. For more information, call 267-5884.

Tabernacle: There are no special trick-or-treating regulations or curfews.

Westampton: The municipality's normal curfew, 11 p.m. for age 18 and under, unless accompanied by an adult or on a school activity, will remain in effect.

Willingboro: Daylight trick-or-treating is encouraged. There are no special curfews.

Woodland: Township officials could not be reached.

Wrightstown: The municipality's normal curfew, 10 p.m. for those under age 18, will remain in effect.

Delran Supports Move To Build New Firehouse Behind Old One

Source: http://articles.philly.com/1988-12-28/news/26224859_1_new-firehouse-building-committee-construction-costs

By Diane Teti, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: December 28, 1988

Delran Fire Company No. 1 has won preliminary approval from the Township Planning Board to replace its 70-year-old firehouse.

No estimate was available for construction costs on the new firehouse, which would be built immediately behind the existing structure.

Fire company officials said they did not know how long the construction would take.

The existing firehouse and the property at Bridgeboro and Cleveland Roads is owned by the fire company. But construction costs will be paid for by the township because the fire company has agreed to give the township title to the land the old firehouse occupies.

"We're so cramped for space now that we have no more storage room," said Mal Anderson, who serves as chairman of the fire company's building committee.

"The building is of the age where major repairs are imminent."

The new building would contain a meeting room in the rear that could also be used as an election polling place and would be accessible to the handicapped. The exterior will be stucco and brick.

The Planning Board accepted the application with a few waivers of local zoning ordinances.

In accordance with one of the waivers, for example, the fire company will not be expected to pave a parking overflow area that would be located to the side of the new building.

According to fire company attorney Robert Rogers, "The majority of the time, the (existing) paved area is sufficient.

"The overflow area is for rare instances and need not be blacktopped," Rogers said.

An ordinance that requires a total of 25 feet of space from the sides of the building to the property line, with at least 10 feet on each side, was also waived. The fire company is allowed to have only an 18-foot space, with 10 feet on the side that borders residential property and eight feet on the side facing Cleveland Road.

One problem that the fire company will have to research is removal of an oil pipe and tank behind the building. State regulations require testing to determine if the soil is contaminated. If so, the soil would have to be removed also.

Board members Dan Paolini and Ron Hubbs were disqualified from hearing the issue because they are both members of the fire company.

Board member George Scimeca was absent from the meeting.

Fire District Commissioners, Budgets Are Up For Vote

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20151230151242/http://articles.philly.com/1989-02-15/news/26154764_1_fire-district-fire-protection-fire-protection-budget

By Catherine Ross, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: February 15, 1989

Not every town has one. Not every town wants one. But for those Burlington County municipalities that do have their own fire districts, it's election time.

The fire-district elections - to be held from 2 to 9 p.m. Saturday - affect only a smattering of Burlington County residents. Most local fire companies are supported by subsidies from their local governments and private fund- raising events.

For towns with fire districts, the election gives residents the opportunity to vote on the fire-protection budget and elect representatives to the fire commission - the body that oversees fire protection for the community.

The budget will determine the local fire-tax rate, which in most towns is a tiny portion of the total amount of taxes a resident pays.

In Riverside, this is only the second fire-district election. At a special election in November, Riverside residents voted to create a fire district and to accept an initial budget and a slate of fire commissioners.

In Edgewater Park, residents will vote for commissioners although they do not have their own fire company. Part of the commission's responsibility to the community is to negotiate contracts with other fire districts that provide service to Edgewater Park.

Voters in Delanco and Eastampton and in Bordentown's two fire districts will be asked to approve referendums to purchase new firetrucks, either through a bond issue or a lease-purchase plan.

The following is a list of fire districts conducting elections, the candidates, budgets and referendum issues, if any.

BEVERLY

Three candidates are running for two three-year positions on the Fire Commission. They are incumbents Wiley C. Johnson Jr. and Joseph J. Rudnicki and newcomer Walter J. Pozniewski Jr.

If voters approve the budget, the fire-district tax rate will stay the same - 17.4 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The operating budget of the Beverly district is $67,700, all of which is to be raised by taxes.

Polling will be conducted at the municipal building on Broad Street.

BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP NO. 1

Two candidates are running unopposed for two seats. John D. Kinsley Jr., who served the remainder of an unexpired term last year, and newcomer Mark Kandrac are running.

Voters will be asked to approve a budget of $199,849 to be raised by taxes. That represents a 4.7 percent increase over last year's $190,932 budget.

The fire-district tax in 1988 was 20.8 cents per $100 of assessed valuation and should stay the same because growth in the township has increased the tax base, according to a fire-district spokesperson.

Voters also will be asked to decide on a lease-purchase plan for a new firetruck. The truck would cost no more than $350,000 and interest; $65,000 would be paid each year for seven years if the plan is approved.

A representative of the Fire Commission said increased housing development in the township and aging equipment had created the need for a new truck.

Residents will vote at the Mission Fire Co., 51 Groveville Rd.

BORDENTOWN NO. 2

Four candidates are running for two three-year spots on the commission. They are incumbents George Hannuschik and Alice Hollohan and newcomers James R. Hensley and Dennis H. Phelan.

The budget is $167,850 - the same as last year. No tax increase is expected. The tax rate is 11.3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

In a referendum on the ballot, voters will be asked to authorize spending $50,000 each year for the next six years to purchase a firetruck at the end of that time. The firetruck would cost no more than $350,000.

A spokeswoman for the district said that the money for the truck had been budgeted but that if the referendum did not pass, the tax rate would remain the same and the money would remain in the budget.

Polling will be at the Derby Fire House, 262 Crosswicks Rd.

CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP NO. 1

Two candidates are vying for one three-year term, left vacant by 38-year commission veteran Allen K. Woodward, who is retiring from the board.

The candidates are newcomers Herbert W. Borgstrom Jr. and Raymond L. Demeter.

The proposed budget is $56,442, with $42,450 to be raised by taxes. The tax rate will fall 1 cent, to 12 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, if the budget passes.

Voting will take place at the Union Fire Co., at New Street and Crosswicks Road.

CHESTERFIELD NO. 2

Two incumbents - Don Longstreet and Charles Jones - are running for re- election to three-year terms on the commission.

A budgeted $43,779 will be raised by taxes, if voters approve of the budget, which is about the same amount as last year.

There is no anticipated increase in the tax rate, which was 9.9 cents per $100 of assessed valuation last year.

Residents will vote at the Chesterfield Fire House No. 2, on Chesterfield- Bordentown Road.

CINNAMINSON

William E. Kramer Jr. and John C. Stokes, an incumbent, want to fill the two open positions on the commission.

The budget voters are asked to approve is $704,200, including $645,700 to be raised by taxes.

The district tax last year was 14.2 cents per $100 of assessed valuation and is expected to rise to 15.5 cents per $100 if the proposed budget passes.

Voting will take place at the Cinnaminson municipal building, 1621 Riverton Rd.

DELANCO

Incumbent Fred McQuade is the only candidate seeking election to a three- year term.

The proposed budget is $168,330. Of that, $136,330 is to be raised by taxes.

The fire-district tax in 1988 was 19.5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation and is expected to stay the same.

Voters also will be asked to approve the lease-purchase of a $175,000 firetruck. The fire company has set aside $45,000 over the years for a down payment and hopes to get approval to replace its aging equipment, said Fire Chief Francis "Sparky" Atzert.

Residents will vote at the Delanco Fire Co., 1800 Burlington Ave.

DELRAN

Two candidates - Wesley Estenschied and Charles Forssell 3d - are running for two three-year positions.

The total budget of $393,000 will be raised by taxes and will mean an increase of 1 cent per $100 of assessed valuation.

The tax rate is expected to go up to almost 14 cents per $100, from 12.7 cents per $100 in 1988.

The polling place is the municipal building on South Chester Avenue, just off Route 130 South.

EASTAMPTON

Matthew Chudoba, Axel Anderson and Nancy Parks are running for two three- year positions on the Fire Commission. Parks is the only newcomer.

Voters will be asked to approve a $129,677 budget - a $15,850 increase over last year's. The tax rate last year was 12.1 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. Now, Eastampton is in the midst of a property reassessment so commission spokeswoman Nancy Muccolini said it was impossible to tell exactly what the tax rate would be. But it is likely to represent a small increase, she said.

Also, voters will be asked to decide whether the commission can issue $95,000 of bonds for a new 1,250-gallon pumper.

The truck will cost $160,000, but the commission has saved $65,000 over the years to use for a down payment.

Voting will be held at the Eastampton Fire House on Smithville Road.

EDGEWATER PARK

Four people are running for two three-year positions. The candidates are David Absalom, James Palmieri, Francis R. Varsacci Sr. and Arthur H. Leary Jr.

There will be no increase in taxes if the $222,350.24 budget is approved. The amount to be raised by taxes - $174,574 - is the same as last year.

The bulk of the costs cover a contract with the Beverly Fire Cos. to protect Edgewater Park. That contract, which was negotiated between the Edgewater Park commission and the Beverly commission, increases 10 percent every year. The total amount paid to the Beverly companies is $137,864.

The five-year contract with Beverly will end in two years. Edgewater Park

Commission Chairman John P. Burns 3d said that at that time he would like Edgewater Park to take steps toward getting its own fire company, so the town did not have to rely on other towns.

He said that costs could be cut considerably in the long run if Edgewater Park took such a step.

In 1988, the fire-district tax in Edgewater Park was 10.2 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

The election will be held in the municipal building, 400 Delanco Rd.

EVESHAM

Two candidates are running for two three-year vacancies: incumbent Robert Costello and newcomer Scott Jenks.

Although the operating budget will increase to $1.7 million from just under $950,000 last year, taxes are not expected to increase from their 1988 rate of 10 cents per $100 of assessed valuation because of business growth in the township.

Voters will be polled at the Marlton Fire Station, 26 Main St.

FLORENCE

Incumbent Stephen J. Fazekas and Michael A. Woodward are competing for one term on the commission.

Voters will be asked to approve a budget of $406,762, with $334,750 to be raised by taxes.

The fire-district tax rate in Florence in 1988 was 12.8 cents per $100 of assessed valuation and is expected to stay the same.

Residents will vote at the library, 1350 Hornberger Ave., Roebling.

MANSFIELD

No candidates filed petitions for the two vacant seats this year, so the new commissioners will be determined by write-in votes.

Voters will be asked to approve a $4,330 budget to be raised by taxes, the same amount as last year.

The fire-district tax in Mansfield in 1988 was 3.4 cents per $100 of assessed valuation and is expected to stay the same.

Residents will vote at the new Municipal Building, on Atlantic Avenue.

MOORESTOWN NO. 1

Incumbents Walter L. Evans and Edwin R. Jones Sr. are running unopposed for two three-year terms.

The proposed budget, $718,404, represents a 17 percent increase over the 1988 budget of $612,213. The amount to be raised by taxes will be $586,500, up from $488,000 last year.

Because Moorestown's property values have been reassessed, the tax rate will drop even though the amount to be raised by taxes will increase. Taxes this year will be 6.2 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, as opposed to 8.8 cents last year.

Voting will take place at the Emergencies Services Building (Hose Co. No. 1), 261 W. Main St.

MOORESTOWN NO. 2

Three candidates are battling for two seats on the commission. Ernest Traznkner, Ernest Schlegel and William Nawalany are running for the three-year term. Traznkner is an incumbent; the others are newcomers.

The entire $251,700 budget - a $45,000 increase over last year's total - is to be raised by taxes, but because of construction in the township, there is no anticipated tax increase. The rate will remain at 9.8 cents.

Voters will cast their ballots at the Lenola Fire Hall, North Lenola Road.

MOUNT LAUREL

Four new candidates will run for one position on the commission. Rosemary Grabowski, Joseph Trumbetti, Cal Matson and Mark Zimmermann all want the three-year term.

Voters will be asked to approve a $1.5 million budget, of which $1.3 million will be raised by taxes. If approved, taxes will increase 3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation - from 5.7 cents to 8.7 cents.

The 52.6 percent tax increase is due in part to development in the township: The commission plans to hire a new inspector to help handle the increased preventive workload. Also, the increased taxes will cover costs of a four-year program of building repairs.

Commission members said that the tax rate would remain the same for the next five or six years, barring a dramatic rise in inflation or a disaster.

Voting will take place at the Masonville Fire House, on Centerton Road; at the Birchfield Fire Station, on Elbow Lane, and at the Fellowship Fire Station, at 3824 Church Rd. near I-295.

RIVERSIDE

Incumbents Emerson R. Lucas and Claude Stellwag are running for two three- year terms. The two were elected to the commission in November, when Riverside held its first fire-district election. The town decided to create its own fire district after local donations to the fire company fell far below the needed amount.

Voters will be asked to approve a budget of $182,620, all to be raised by taxes. The fire-district tax in Riverside is expected to be 15 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

Polls will be open at the Riverside Fire House, 14 W. Scott St., across from the municipal building.

TABERNACLE

Three candidates - incumbent Michael Callaghan and newcomers Tom McGoldrick and Kevin Zebrowski - are running for two three-year terms.

The budget to be raised by taxes this year is $125,915 - a $2,200 increase over last year's.

Because of new development in the township, the tax rate, which was 7.5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation in 1988, should go down, a commissioner said.

Residents will vote at the Medford Farms Volunteer Fire Co., at Route 206 and Hawkins Road.

New Firehouse Sought In Delran

Source: http://articles.philly.com/1989-06-18/news/26109483_1_current-firehouse-new-firehouse-fire-commissioners

By Ruth Masters, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: June 18, 1989

A $1 million bond referendum to finance the construction of a new firehouse for Company No. 1 has been authorized for Sept. 9 by the Delran Board of Fire Commissioners.

The current firehouse on Bridgeboro Street was built in 1917, with additions made in 1925 and 1958. An engineering study conducted by the Haddonfield firm of Ambruster-Grana Associates shows it to be structurally unsound.

Chuck Kendra, board president, said last week that the engineering study indicated that the floor in the engine room had sunk about two inches from the weight of heavy equipment and that the meeting room on the second floor could collapse if more than 50 people assemble in it.

Ironically, the fire company's meeting room is also a fire hazard. The room has only one exit, a violation of township building codes.

Donald Anderson, president of Company No. 1, said another problem is a lack of space. The company now has five fire trucks crammed into a 7,000-square- foot structure built when trucks were half of their current size.

"If you built a garage to fit a Volkswagen in and then you put a Cadillac in it, you couldn't get the door open," he said.

"It's an old, old building," Anderson added. "The plumbing is old. The electrical system is old."

Nick Duca, a partner with the architectural firm of Duca & Thorn in Moorestown, said the new firehouse will be one-level, with a planned exterior of masonry and stucco. It will have 11,100 square feet devoted to equipment space, offices, work rooms and a meeting room. Each truck bay will be set back 10 feet from the preceding one, giving the building a graduated appearance.

The new building will be built 5 feet behind the existing one, thus enabling the fire company to continue to operate out of its old quarters during construction.

Kendra said Company No. 1 owns the current firehouse, but that the new building will be a public structure.

The 98-member volunteer fire company has retained a public relations firm, Synergy Communications of Cheltenham, Pa., to publicize the bond issue. Carol Mueller said her firm will conduct a direct-mail campaign and hold speaking engagements, complete with a slide show, to demonstrate the need for a new firehouse.

Deputy Fire Chief Paul Matlock said the firefighters have spent between $25,000 and $30,000 for the services of the public relations, engineering and architectural firms. The company paid for the services with money from the sale of its old fire trucks, which were replaced with equipment bought by the Board of Fire Commissioners.

The board, created in 1970, is composed of five elected members who represent the taxpayers and the fire companies. Board revenues are generated from a fire tax, which is assessed on each home to buy equipment for Delran's two fire companies.

Company Puts Out Fire Call

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20151227101918/http://articles.philly.com/1989-09-06/news/26099801_1_ladder-truck-new-firehouse-firefighters

By Peter Van Allen, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: September 06, 1989

After hearing sales pitches for a new firehouse for the last two months, Delran voters will decide on Saturday whether the township needs one.

Township officials have unanimously - and glowingly - supported the proposed $1 million project, which would replace the Company No. 1 firehouse. The council passed a resolution backing the plan Aug. 23.

Residents will be able to vote on the $1.2 bond referendum between 2 and 9 p.m. at the township municipal hall. If the 20-year bond is approved, a taxpayer with a home assessed at the Delran average of $58,243 would pay an additional 5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, or $29.12 a year. Residents may tour the firehouse between 1 and 5 p.m. Saturday.

Building a new firehouse has been a priority among the township's 98 volunteer firefighters for the two years. In 1987, an engineering survey by Camden-based Ambruster/Grana Associates underscored what firefighters have said all along: Not only was the building inadequate to house ever-bigger fire engines, but it was literally sinking under the increasing weight.

"The most compelling reason (to build) is that the building is structurally unsafe," said firefighter Chuck Kendra. "The building's old. In the second floor meeting room they told us not to put more than 25 to 50 people. New-style trucks have sunk the engine room floor by two inches."

The original two-story section - built by firefighters in 1917 - is used only for an office, kitchen and meeting hall. A 1957 addition houses a ladder truck, two pump trucks, a rescue unit truck, a 4-wheel-drive brush-fire truck and a 12-foot rescue boat. Trucks are fit together like pieces of a jigsaw, with just enough space to walk between.

"This building is not lavish," said Mal Anderson, 42, who has been a Company No. 1 firefighter for 25 years. During a recent tour of the firehouse, he talked about the care the fire company gives its equipment. Tools, handles of which have been repainted, laid in order in truck compartments. Hoses and ropes were painstakingly coiled and placed in symmetrical rows.

Anderson reached under the wheel well of a pump truck. "See this?" he said, swiping his hand from the inside of the wheel well. "No dust! We take pride in these trucks.

"The firefighters built this place. The parking lot came from bingo and dinners and things like that," he said. "For years we tried to provide service at no cost to the taxpayers. We only switched to tax support because we had to."

That change happened in 1971, when the township paid for a fire engine, Anderson said. Taxes provide the annual $390,000 operating budget, which also covers a second firehouse on the other side of the L-shaped township.

In two years, the Delran fire commissioners have spent nearly $30,000 on the engineering study, architectural fees and a public relations campaign.

Ambruster/Grana Associates and architect Nicholas Duca proposed three remedies for the fire company: To refurbish the firehouse and build an addition would cost an estimated $916,000; to tear down the office and meeting hall section, build a fire engine room and move the office into the engine room would cost $936,000; to tear down everything and start over would cost $961,000.

"We really tried to prove we needed a new building," said Anderson. ''That's why we did the study, to show that these problems exist."

Duca's design for an 11,000-square- foot building has a "staggered" front, like a staircase lying on its side. It would angle off so that its construction would not interfere with use of the existing firehouse, Duca said. The new firehouse would be set farther back on the company's 1-acre lot, which is on the corner of Cleveland Avenue and Bridgeboro Street.

If approved, construction could start as early as March and take up to one year, said construction board member Carlton Ely.

If interest rates rise, the price of building the firehouse could go as high as $1.2 million, said Donald Anderson, president of Company No. 1.

Delran Fire Company Grabs The Bragging Rights

Source: http://articles.philly.com/1989-10-01/news/26119962_1_resettlement-parade-volunteers

By Stephen Keating, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: October 01, 1989

They're No. 1 in New Jersey.

Delran's Fire Co. No. 1 prevailed as the best-looking outfit in the state, winning six first-place trophies at the 112th annual New Jersey State Fireman's Parade this month in Wildwood.

"It's a lot of hard work," said Deputy Chief Paul Matlack, who rode in the parade along with 20 other members of the volunteer department. "It takes a lot of dedication by the members."

More than 300 fire companies entered the parade, riding and marching on a Saturday afternoon through Wildwood and Wildwood Crest as part of the annual New Jersey State Fireman's Convention.

Wearing double-breasted navy blue dress uniforms and black shoes, the Delran Fire Co. displayed their two sparkling red and white pumpers and one Cascade Utility Truck - used for refilling air bottles - along the three-mile parade route. The New Jersey State Fire Chief Judge's Association reviewed the companies for cleanliness, appearance and equipment.

Delran won first place awards for best-appearing company; best-appearing 1,000-gallon permanent pumper, 0 to 5 years old; best-appearing pumper, 6 to 10 years old, and best-appearing utility truck.

The company also won a first-place trophy from the Burlington County Fireman's Association and a first-place award from the Burlington County Freeholders.

"It takes a long time, we have to work on it all summer long," Matlack said of the continual process of maintaining the equipment. "And if we have a fire, we have to start all over again."

Some volunteers spend their summer vacations working on the trucks, said Matlack, who is also in charge of fire and ambulance communications for the Burlington County Communications Center. "But you win the best in the state, it really makes it worthwhile."

A Crash Course In Emergency Rescue Teens Play Victims In Mock Five-car Accident

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150923202229/http://articles.philly.com/1989-10-29/news/26118842_1_rescue-squads-accident-patrol-car

By Douglas A. Campbell, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: October 29, 1989

Karen Guidobaldi got a jump on Halloween yesterday morning on a remote dirt road in Mount Laurel.

At 9:30 a.m., she was wedged into an old, brown Oldsmobile with five other teens, each to some degree battered and bloody-looking, some with ghoulish, chalky complexions, some with clotting rivulets of red oozing from their ears, noses, mouths or limbs.

They were victims in a mock, five-car automobile accident, staged to give area volunteer rescue squads training in how to respond to what they refer to as a "mass casualty incident." Each of the youths had been told what injuries he or she had - and how, therefore, to scream, moan or otherwise act out the part.

Guidobaldi, 17, of Riverside, sitting in the left-rear passenger seat of the Oldsmobile, had been assigned fewer injuries than most of the 20 victims, but she had the kind of role that, around Halloween, had possibilities.

"I'm bruised and battered, and I'm on drugs," explained Guidobaldi, a member of Medical Explorer Post 231 in Delran, a scouting organization for teens who want to go into health careers.

Her job, she said, was to hold a plastic bag of white powder (corn starch substituting for cocaine) and act crazy when rescuers arrived.

This would be one of a score of problems the volunteer rescuers would face any moment when they arrived.

The "accident" was set up at 7:45 a.m., when trucks from a couple of towing companies hauled the hulks of five wrecked cars onto Walton Avenue. It was the culmination of two months' planning by members of Mount Laurel's Masonville Rescue Squad.

Jay Appleton and Douglas Dickel, officers in the squad, had created a script - kept secret from the volunteers - describing how the accident was supposed to have occurred:

An old Mercury Capri coupe, driven by Adam Fitzpatrick, 14, of Fort Dix (who had been recruited as a victim on Friday night) and packed with four of Fitzpatrick's real-life friends, was heading north on Walton Avenue when the Capri forced another vehicle into a ditch. The Capri traveled a quarter- mile farther, where, in the middle of a concrete bridge on a sharp curve, it hit the Guidobaldi Oldsmobile head-on. A red Datsun, heading south, swerved to avoid the accident and flipped into a ditch to the west. An Opel heading south then slammed into the rear of the Oldsmobile.

The exercise began when the first passersby, recruited for that role, discovered the accidents and called police, who sent a patrol car to the scene and then summoned the rescue squads. Emergency teams arrived at the bridge to find all but three of the victims still in their cars.

Thomas Miller, 15, of Delran, was lying beyond the Datsun on a bank against a tree where, the script said, he had been thrown and paralyzed.

Kim Booth, 9, of Fort Dix, was lying on the east side of the road, her face chalked. She was, the script said, dead.

A mannequin was pinned beneath the Datsun.

For the next two hours, dozens of rescue workers examined the victims, attached braces and splints, and carried them away. They used the tools of the trade - pneumatic prying devices, inflatable bags to lift the Datsun, backboard stretchers, neck braces, inflatable pants.

Inside the Oldsmobile, Guidobaldi, the "addict," became frantic.

"I've got to get out. Let me out," she screamed while rescuers tried to pry open the Oldsmobile's doors. She climbed over the laps of Carol Cebik, 17, and Chris Pisarek, 15, both of Browns Mills, who sat oozing red fluid from their faces and necks.

The rescuers tried to talk Guidobaldi out of her anxiety, not yet recognizing that her acting reflected her scripted drug use.

Guidobaldi eventually climbed out of the car, shrieking and walking away. A rescue worker and then a police officer tried to restrain her, but she kept up her ranting. The officer guided her to an ambulance, but she bolted and momentarily escaped.

For her effort at realism, Guidobaldi was placed in the rear of a police cruiser.

Later, when the drill was over, she would describe her "caged" feeling in the police car.

Almost shuddering, she said: "I'll never be in there again."

A Cornucopia Of Holiday Events

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20151221123910/http://articles.philly.com/1989-12-03/news/26157835_1_santa-claus-voorhees-holiday-season

By Nancy Reuter, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: December 03, 1989

Some legendary characters of the holiday season will be dropping by South Jersey in the coming weeks, visiting with residents in an effort to make the holiday season much more festive.

Scrooge, with Tiny Tim and a spirit or two in tow, will be taking up residence at the Ritz Theater in Oaklyn. He will also be part of a performance of A Christmas Carol in Glassboro.

The Sugar Plum Fairy and her cavalier, along with Drosselmeyer, Clara and other Nutcracker favorites, will be appearing in Glassboro and Voorhees as part of the Children's Ballet Theater's production.

Finally, one of the biggest stars of the season, Santa Claus, will be very much in evidence in the coming days as he visits craft fairs and other holiday programs, eats lunch with area children, and takes up residence in several area malls - simultaneously.

The following is a listing, in chronological order, of some of the Christmas and Hanukah events to be celebrated this month. When an event occurs over more than one day, it is listed under the day on which it begins.

TODAY

The Santa's Workshop display at Main Street in Voorhees will be open Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. and Mondays through Saturdays, noon to 8 p.m., now through Christmas. The 3,500-foot animated exhibit includes various spots on Santa's estate, including the kitchen, workshop and doll department, as well as animals and elves. For more information, call 424-8751.

The third annual Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony sponsored by Delran Township and the Recreation Advisory Committee, will be held at 7 p.m. at the Delran Municipal Building, Chester Avenue, Delran. Light refreshments will be served, and Santa will arrive on a firetruck at about 7:15 p.m.

The annual Driedel Shop sponsored by the Sisterhood of B'nai Tikvah Synagogue will be held from 9 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. today, 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. tomorrow, and 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the synagogue, Fishpond and Spring Lake Roads, Turnersville. The shop will feature Hanukah items such as menorahs, candles, toys and wrapping paper. For more information, call 227-3988.

A Christmas Bazaar will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Clementon Ambulance Association Fire Company, Gibbsboro Road, Clementon. For more information, call 783-4095.

The sixth annual Craft Show sponsored by the Colonial Manor Ladies Auxiliary, featuring craft tables, food and Santa Claus (visiting from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Colonial Manor Fire Hall, Academy Avenue, West Deptford. For more information, call 848-6916.

A Holiday Open House will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the shelter of the Animal Welfare Association Inc., 509 Gibbsboro-Marlton Rd., Voorhees. The event will include handmade crafts, baked goods, pet portraits with Santa and more. Visitors are asked to bring a gift for the animals, such as food, cat litter, toys, treats, blankets or towels. For more information, call 424-2288.

A Hanukah Bazaar will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Congregation Beth Tikvah, Evesboro-Medford Road, Marlton. The event, sponsored by the Sisterhood of the Congregation, will feature gift items, foods and games. For more information, call 983-8090.

Scrooge, a musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, will be presented today and next Sunday at 2 p.m., and Friday and Saturday evenings through Dec. 16 at 7:30, at the Ritz Theater, 915 White Horse Pike, Oaklyn. Tickets are $5; free tickets will be given in exchange for foodstuffs for the needy after one ticket is purchased. For more information, call 858-5230.

A Holiday Concert titled "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," will be presented at 3 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center at Gloucester County College, Tanyard Road, Deptford Township. The free program will feature the College Community Chorus and the Washington Township High School String Quartet performing sacred and secular pieces ranging from "White Christmas" to selections from Handel's Messiah. For more information, call 468-5000, Ext. 274 or 207.

The Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky's classic holiday ballet, will be presented by Ballet South at 3 p.m. today and next Sunday, at 8 p.m. Friday, and at 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday. Performances will be in the Wilson Concert Hall at Glassboro State College, Route 322, Glassboro. Tickets are $10 and $8, with discount prices of $8 and $6 for children, senior citizens, and alumni, students and staff of Glassboro State. For more information, call 863-7388.

A Holiday Art Show and Sale is being sponsored by the Willingboro chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. from 2 to 5 p.m. at Burlington County College's Outreach Center in the Willingboro Plaza, Route 130 North, Willingboro. The show, by Life Presentation, will feature African-American fine art prints by such artists as Joseph Holston, Varnette Honeywood, Annie Lee, Ray Batchelor, Ernie Barnes and Romare Bearsen. For more information, call 291-9024.

TOMORROW

A drive to collect Christmas Toys for the Needy continues now through Thursday at the Gloucester Township Municipal Building, Chews Landing Road, Gloucester Township. Residents may drop off toys for the township-sponsored collection between 8 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. The toys will be distributed to needy youngsters in the township between Dec. 11 and 19.

A Holiday Bazaar featuring Christmas items, wooden crafts, ceramics, and knitted and crocheted items, as well as food and white-elephant items, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the sixth floor of Evergreen Manor, on Collier Drive in the Camden County Health Services Center, Lakeland Campus, in Blackwood. For more information, call 757-8000, Ext. 3340.

Beginning chefs can make a No-Bake Cookie Log Cabin at a workshop scheduled for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Cook N School at the Main Street Super Shop 'n Bag, 8000 Gibbsboro-Marlton Rd., Voorhees. The "cabins" are edible, and also can be used for display. The fee for the workshop is $20. For more information, call 751-8066.

Holiday Stress is the topic of a lecture to be presented at 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria at Rancocas Hospital, Sunset Road, Willingboro. Clinical psychologist Victoria Handfield will offer advice on coping with family conflicts, the tendency to overspend and other common sources of stress during the holidays. The program will be repeated at 7 p.m. on Dec. 14 in the Zurbrugg Hospital Education Center, Hospital Plaza, Riverside. Register in advance for both programs by calling 1-800-654-GRAD.

TUESDAY

The ninth annual Holiday Gift of Art Exhibition will open today at the Center for the Arts in Southern New Jersey, 5 Greentree Center, Route 73, Marlton, and continue through Dec. 20. The exhibit will include jewelry, pottery, wearable art, paintings and crafts, which will be available for purchase. The show is open Mondays through Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and next Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. For more information, call 985-1009.

Children ages 3 through 6 can have some Christmas Fun with a program featuring stories, a craft project and the movie Max's Christmas, to be held today from 1:30 to 2 p.m. and tomorrow from 10 to 10:45 a.m. at the Margaret E. Heggan Public Library, Chapel Heights Road, Washington Township. For more information, call 589-3334.

The annual House Tour sponsored by the West Jersey Health Systems Women's Auxiliary of Haddonfield will be conducted from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m., and will feature four Haddonfield homes decorated in Christmas themes. The auxiliary also will sponsor a Noel Shop from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Tea Room of the Tavistock Country Club, with handmade items and baked goods. Tickets for the tour are $5, and are available at the Tavistock Country Club or from auxiliary members. For more information, call 342-4460.

The yearly Luncheon and Craft Show sponsored by the Tatem School Home School Association will feature country, folk art and Victorian items, as well as porcelain dolls, quilts, baby clothes, jewelry, tree-trimming items, toys, baskets and more, with a luncheon of soup, chicken salad and Greek spinach pie available (lunch served noon to 2 p.m.). The event will be held at the First Presbyterian Church, Kings Highway and Chestnut Street, Haddonfield, from noon to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. For more information, call 428-7449.

WEDNESDAY

Christmas Movies, including Nearly No Christmas and Max's Christmas, will be shown from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Margaret E. Heggan Public Library, Chapel Heights Road, Washington Township. The program is open to children 6-10. For more information, call 589-3334.

A Christmas Craft Show and Sale sponsored by the Perkins Center for the Arts will be held from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. today and Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday, at the center, Kings Highway and Camden Avenue, Moorestown. The juried event will feature more than 70 artisans from eight states displaying such items as stained glass, jewelry, dolls and Christmas ornaments. There also will be homemade soups, sandwiches and cookies available, and the house will be decorated for the holidays. Admission is $2. For more information, call 235-6488.

The 27th annual Cook's Tour of Moorestown will be conducted from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and will feature five houses of various architectural styles and interior designs decorated for the holidays. There also will be a Noel Shop, held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, Bridgeboro Road, Moorestown, with handmade crafts, wreaths, baked goods and flowers. Tickets for the tour are $8 in advance and $10 on the day of the tour, and are available at various Moorestown businesses (in advance) and at the Presbyterian Church (today). For more information, call 261-7020.

A Christmas Tree Lighting and Carol Singing program will begin at 7 p.m. at the Lindenwold Public Library, 310 E. Linden Ave., Lindenwold. Refreshments will be served, and there will be entertainment by elementary school choruses. For more information, call 784-5602.

"Healthy Holiday Cooking" is the topic of a free class to be held from 7 to 8 p.m. at the South Jersey Gas Co.'s Natural Gas Advantage Store, The Center at DoubleTree, Delsea Drive, Glassboro. For more information, call 589-5500.

A concert of Classical Holiday Music will be presented by the five-piece Festive Brass, beginning at 8 p.m. at the Medford Friends Meeting, Union Street, Medford. Admission is free. For more information, call 654-4302.

THURSDAY

A Hanukah Bazaar will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Beth Jacob-Beth Israel Synagogue, Evesham Road, Cherry Hill. The event is sponsored by the Congregation's Sisterhood. For more information, call 751-1191.

FRIDAY

Snacks with Santa will be available from 10 a.m. to noon at the Senior Citizen Center, Union Avenue, Stratford. Tickets for the event, sponsored by the GFWC Woman's Club of Stratford, are $2 for children and adults and are available at Prudential Applewood Realtors, 64 Warwick Rd., Stratford.

A Christmas Bazaar, sponsored by the Combined Auxiliaries to Zurbrugg Hospital, will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the main lobby of the hospital, Hospital Plaza, Riverside. The event will include arts and crafts, plants, books, baked goods and a raffle. For more information, call 829-7514.

The 1989 Christmas Arts & Crafts Bazaar at St. Thomas Parish House, Focer Street and Delsea Drive, Glassboro, will be held from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow. Besides arts and crafts, there will be baked goods, soups and sandwiches; a Santa's Secret Shop, where children can buy gifts, and Santa Claus himself. For more information, call 881-9144.

The annual Woodbury Holiday House Tour will be conducted from 6 to 10 p.m., beginning at the Woodbury High School cafeteria, Broad Street, Woodbury, where there will be wassail and cookies, singing and crafts. From there, tour-goers may drive or take a free bus to the six tour sites: two 18th-century homes, three modern homes and a church, all specially decorated for Christmas. Tickets are $5 in advance and are available at Woodbury City Hall or by calling 848-2461; day-of-tour tickets are $6 and are available at the high school.

Tchaikovsky's holiday ballet, The Nutcracker, will be performed by the Children's Ballet Theater with a cast of 99 youngsters aged 5-17 and a supporting cast of 17 adults. Performances are scheduled for 7:30 tonight and 2:30 p.m. tomorrow and next Sunday at the Voorhees Middle School Theater, Holly Oaks Drive, Voorhees. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for those 18 and under. For more information, call 546-9270.

The annual Christmas Concert of the Cinnaminson Community Chorus will begin at 8 p.m. in the auditorium of Cinnaminson High School, Riverton Road, Cinnaminson. The 50-voice chorus will present religious and popular songs from the past and present. Tickets are $3, with students and senior citizens admitted for $1.50 and children under 12 for free. For more information, call 461-6330.

The annual Christmas Concert of the 75-voice Lewis Shearer Chorale will be held tonight and tomorrow at 8 p.m. in the Pennsauken Senior High School, Hylton Road, Pennsauken. The program will include sacred and secular Christmas songs, plus a carol sing-along. Tickets are $6. For more information, call 854-6639.

SATURDAY

Children aged 8-12 can make Holiday Cookies at a cooking program to be held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the South Jersey Gas Co.'s Natural Gas Advantage Store, The Center at DoubleTree, Delsea Drive, Glassboro. Advance registration is required for the free program. For more information, call 589-5500.

A Santa's Secret Gift Shop, where children can purchase inexpensive gifts to give to family members, will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Jude's School, Black Horse Pike, Blackwood. A Lunch With Santa will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. the same day. For more information, call 582-5740.

The Lumberton Senior Citizens Club will sponsor a Holiday Bazaar from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church, South Main Street, Lumberton. For more information, call 267-3958.

A Pet's Picture Party With Santa will be sponsored by the Animal Orphanage of Voorhees. It will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Kresson Fire Station (next to the Animal Orphanage), Cooper Road, Voorhees. For a $5 donation, participants can have a picture of their pet or child taken with Santa. Holiday crafts and baked goods will be available. For more information, call 627-9111.

A Visit with Santa Claus will be available from noon to 2 p.m., as the jolly old elf visits the Stratford Library, 303 Union Ave., Stratford. Parents are invited to bring their cameras and take pictures. For more information, call 783-0602.

Help Wanted: Santa, a holiday comedy for children, will be presented by the Sketch Club Players at noon, 2 and 4 p.m. today and tomorrow, in the Little Theater, 433 Glover St. (at Logan Street), Woodbury. Tickets are $2. For more information, call 848-8089.

The seventh annual Lunch With Santa & Mrs. Claus, sponsored by the Audubon Young Women's League, will be held from noon to 2:30 p.m. at the Holy Maternity Church Hall, 431 Nicholson Rd., Audubon. Tickets are $1.50 and include pasta, juice, a cupcake and a candy cane. Reservations are required, and children must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, call 547-4277.

Gloucester County College will hold its annual St. Nicholas Day celebration from noon to 5 p.m. in the school's College Center and Fine Arts Center, Tanyard Road, Deptford Township. The annual event will feature a crafts exhibit, magic and puppet shows, a cartoonist, dancers, a barbershop and music, food and St. Nicholas. For more information, call 468-5000, Ext. 274.

Lunch With Santa will be served at 12:30 p.m. in the Harrison Township School, Route 45, Mullica Hill. Tickets are $2.50 and include hot dogs, chips, a beverage, dessert and a gift from Santa. Parents should bring a camera if they wish to have their children's pictures taken with Santa. For more information on the event, sponsored by the Home and School Association, call 478-2787.

Holiday Tours of the historic Whitman Stafford Farm House, 315 Maple Ave., Laurel Springs, will be available today and Dec. 16 and 23 from 1 to 4 p.m. The house, which was once the summer home of poet Walt Whitman, will be decorated for the holidays. Admission is free. For more information, call 783-8040.

A Candlelight Christmas Tour, sponsored by the Mount Holly Historical Society, will be held from 3 to 8 p.m. The tour will include several private homes, some historic public buildings and a church, and refreshments will be served. Tickets/brochures are $5 and are available in advance at several businesses in town, and from 2 to 7 p.m. today at the Historic Court House, High Street, Mount Holly. For more information or to order tickets, call 267-1689.

NEXT SUNDAY

The ninth annual Holiday Showcase of Homes, Home Tour and Craft Bazaar will be held today, with the bazaar running from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Pennsauken Middle School, Park Avenue, Pennsauken, and the tour running from noon to 8 p.m. The event, sponsored by the GFWC Junior Woman's Club of the Merchantville Area Inc., will include tours of four 19th-century homes, all decorated and within walking distance of each other, plus a bazaar with crafts. Tour tickets are $5 and are available in advance at several area businesses. They will be available the day of the tour at the Pennsauken Middle School, or at tour homes (40 E. Walnut Ave., 20 E. Gilmore Ave., 41 W. Walnut Ave. and 137 E. Park Ave., Merchantville). For more information, call 665-9499.

A House Tour featuring nine homes in Roebling will be conducted from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets for the event, sponsored by the Roebling Historical Society, are $5 and will be sold today at the Roebling library. For more information, call 499-0471.

A Holiday Luncheon for Merchantville senior citizens will be given by the borough's mayor and council at 1 p.m. in the Community Center, Greenleigh Court, Merchantville. The event is free, but those planning to attend must respond by Tuesday. For more information, call 665-9240.

A concert of Seasonal Music, including excerpts from Handel's Messiah, will be presented at 3 p.m. in the Student Lounge, College Community Center, Camden County College, Little Gloucester Road, Blackwood. The concert will presented by the college's Community Choir, as well as by the Haddon Township High School choir and the Glassboro High School choir. Tickets are $4, with students admitted for $2 and senior citizens for free. For more information, call 227-7200, Ext. 353.

"The Joy of Christmas" is the theme of the annual Christmas concert of the Florence Township Community Singers, to be held at 3 p.m. in the auditorium of Florence Township Memorial High School, Front Street, Florence, with an organ prelude at 2:45 p.m. Carols, religious songs and excerpts from Handel's Messiah will be featured. Tickets are $3, with students and senior citizens admitted for $1.50. For more information, call 786-1060.

A "Wenonah Christmas" House Tour will be held from 3 to 8 p.m., and will include tours of five private homes, three churches, the community center and library, plus a Civil War encampment on the grounds of the Old Wenonah Military Academy across from the park on South Clinton Avenue. Tickets for the event, sponsored by the Wenonah Fire Company Auxiliary and Woman's Club of Wenonah, are $5 in advance and $7 today. Advance tickets are available at the library, borough hall, and several area businesses; day-of-tour tickets are available at the Wenonah Railroad Station and the Wenonah Free Public Library, both on Mantua Avenue, which are the starting points of the tour. Call 468-6065.

A Christmas Home Tour sponsored by the Wedgwood Women's Club of Washington Township will be conducted from 3 to 9 p.m. Four homes will be toured. Tickets are $6 and should be purchased in advance at Duffield's Farm Market on Greentree Road or Tussie Mussie Country Store, Hurffville-Cross Keys Road. For more information, call 227-6806.

A Christmas Concert, featuring the cantata Bethlehem, by J. H. Maunder, will be presented at 4 p.m. by the choir of Grace Episcopal Church, 7 E. Maple Ave., Merchantville. Admission is free.

A Christmas House Tour will be conducted in Burlington City from 4 to 8 p.m. and will feature 12 homes, an old school and a boat club, all within a four-block area. Tickets for the event, sponsored by the City of Burlington Historical Society, are $5 and are available in advance at several area businesses and today at the Friends School on York Street. For more information, call 386-3993.

A Messiah Community Sing-In will be held for the eighth consecutive year, beginning at 5 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, Camden and Pleasant Valley Avenues, Moorestown. Participants will be seated by vocal group (soprano, alto, tenor, bass). Participants may bring their own music or purchase a score at the door for $6.95. Child care is available. Call 235-0450.

DEC. 11

The Mansion at Smithville, Smithville Road, Eastampton Township, will be decorated for the holidays and open for guided tours today through Dec. 30. The rooms of the historic homestead have been decorated by local garden and woman's clubs and civic organizations. Tours will be conducted Mondays through Fridays at noon, 1, 2 and 3 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. (no tours will be conducted on Dec. 24 or 25). Admission is $4, with students up to age 18 and senior citizens admitted for $3. Group rates are available. Special candlelight tours with refreshments will be conducted on Dec. 17, 20 and 22 at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. Admission is $6. For more information, call 265-5068.

DEC. 12

A Holiday Bazaar will be held from 5 to 10 p.m. at the synagogue of Congregation Sons of Israel, Cooper Landing Road, Cherry Hill. The event, sponsored by the Congregation's Sisterhood, will feature toys, stationery, crafts, clothing, jewelry and Judaic items. There will also be blood-pressure screenings, face painting, baked goods and other food. Hoagies are available if ordered in advance. For more information, call 667-7483.

"Cherry Hill Celebrates the Season of Goodwill" is the theme of the Annual Holiday Party sponsored by the township. It will be held at 7 p.m. at the Community Center, 820 Mercer St., Cherry Hill. Entertainment will be provided by youths from various cultural and religious organizations; Santa Claus will visit, and refreshments will be served. For more information, call 488-7878.

A Christmas Concert will be presented by the Collingswood Community Chorus at 8 p.m. in the Collingswood Middle School, Collings Avenue, Collingswood. More than 60 singers from South Jersey and Pennsylvania will sing 22 traditional and contemporary holiday songs. Admission is free, and seating is on a first-come basis. For more information, call 854-6024.

DEC. 13

The annual Winter Concert of the Countryside School, Mount Laurel, will be presented at 9:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Harrington Middle School, Mount Laurel Road, Mount Laurel. The program will feature students in kindergarten through third grade singing traditional holiday songs, plus a performance of songs on the recorder. The program is free and open to the public.

A Christmas Craft program for children aged 6-12 will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Margaret E. Heggan Public Library, Chapel Heights Road, Washington Township. For more information, call 589-3334.

A concert of Christmas Music will be presented by the Rutgers-Camden Choir and Brass Ensemble, starting at noon in the Fine Arts Theater, Rutgers University-Camden, Fourth and Linden Streets, Camden. The free event will include the "Hallelujah Chorus" (with audience participation), carols and classical selections. For more information, call 757-6176.

Make-Ahead Holiday Goodies will be the subject of a cooking demonstration to be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Cook N School at the Main Street Super Shop 'n Bag, 8000 Gibbsboro-Marlton Rd., Voorhees. The menu of dessert and snack items includes Chocolate Raspberry Streusel Crumb Bars, Double-Dose Apricot Squares and White Chocolate Chunk Toasted Macadamia Cookies. The fee is $18. For more information, call 751-8066.

"Family Stress of the Holidays" is the topic of a series of lectures, to be presented at 7 p.m. in the Medford Memorial Community Center, 21 S. Main St., Medford. The program, sponsored by the Medford Family Therapy Center, will include presentations on seasonal depression, handling children's frustration, holiday stress and more. For more information, call 654-6970.

DEC. 14

A Holiday Musical, A Computer for Father Time, will be presented by the fourth- and fifth-grade students of the Countryside School, Mount Laurel, at 9:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the Harrington Middle School, Mount Laurel Road, Mount Laurel. The free musical is based on the play Computerized Christmas. The program is open to the public.

DEC. 15

A Christmas Concert will be performed by the 42-piece Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea, and its 12-voice chorale, beginning at 8 p.m. at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Main Street, Moorestown. Music for Advent and Christmas will be presented. Tickets are $25. For more information, call 234-6835.

A musical adaptation of Dickens' A Christmas Carol will be presented by the Nebraska Theater Caravan at 8 p.m. in the Wilson Concert Hall, Glassboro State College, Route 322, Glassboro. Tickets are $17.50 and $12.50, with discount prices of $15.50 and $10.50 for children, senior citizens and staff, students and alumni of Glassboro State. For more information, call 863-7388.

DEC. 16

A Special Holiday Workshop for children will be presented from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Cook N School in the Main Street Super Shop 'n Bag, 8000 Gibbsboro-Marlton Rd., Voorhees. Young people may make such edible crafts as a Christmas or Hanukah Cookie Tree, Graham Cracker Greeting Cards and Holiday Cracker Wreaths. There is a fee of $1 per craft. For more information, call 751-8066.

Farmer's Hall, an 18th-century structure being restored by the Mount Laurel Historical Society, will be decorated by the County Garden Club for the holidays and open for touring from noon to 4 p.m. today, 1 to 4 p.m. tomorrow, and 7 to 9 p.m. Dec. 20. Many of the decorations are made of materials indigenous to the Mount Laurel area. Refreshments will be served, and admission is free.

DEC. 17

The annual Holiday Concert sponsored by the Gloucester County Parks and Recreation Department will be held at the Washington Township High School auditorium, Hurffville-Cross Keys Road, Washington Township. Doors will open at 2 p.m. for senior citizens and handicapped people, and at 2:30 p.m. for all others. The program will feature performances by the Washington Township High School band, orchestra and choir. For more information, call 589-0047.

A Classical Christmas Concert will be presented at 3 p.m. in St. Cecelia's Church, 49th Street and Camden Avenue, Pennsauken. The program will feature performances by vocalist Frank Nardi, keyboardist Maryalexis Ulrich and the King's Quartet. The free concert is sponsored by the Up With Pennsauken Committee. For more information, call 663-9122.

A Christmas Concert will be presented by the New Sound Choir of Haddonfield United Methodist Church, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the church, 29 Warwick Rd., Haddonfield. The group of 50 high school students will perform Christmas music. For more information, call 429-0403.

DEC. 19

The Churches of Laurel Springs' annual Holiday Concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Park Avenue, Laurel Springs. Admission is free, but food donations for the church's pantry are appreciated. For more information, call 783-8040.

DEC. 23

First Day of Hanukah.

Santa's Last Visit to Merchantville will be conducted from noon to 4 p.m. Santa will be escorted through town on a Niagara Fire Company fire engine.

Ex-lawyer Admits Guilt In Deception

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20151225125836/http://articles.philly.com/1990-09-06/news/25876348_1_disbarred-ethics-hearing-clients-security-fund

By Connie O'Kane, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: September 06, 1990

Leslie Ray Smith, the disbarred Burlington County lawyer who eluded authorities for five years until his case was featured on the television program America's Most Wanted last year, pleaded guilty yesterday to deceiving clients by investing thousands of dollars in risky ventures that went out of business.

Smith, 56, a former Delran resident, admitted that he took $350,000 from 16 clients and invested it in three companies speculating in oil and coal fields in Pennsylvania. Smith, who has been in Burlington County Jail for eight months, told Superior Court Judge Paul R. Kramer that clients did not know about the high-risk investments, where Smith expected to double his clients' money within four years. Instead, two of the companies went bankrupt and one ''disappeared," Smith said.

Defense attorney David Jacobs said that Smith had not profited from the money nor lived an extravagant lifestyle while he resided in Burlington County or after he left the state.

Under Smith's plea agreement, he would face no more than seven years in prison when he is sentenced Oct. 10, according to First Assistant Prosecutor Michael E. Riley.

Smith's case was featured on the Fox Television program a year ago. The program was rerun on New Year's Eve and the former attorney was arrested three days later in Tucson, Ariz. A viewer had recognized Smith and told the show's producers, who notified Arizona authorities.

Smith, who was disbarred in 1985, had been using the name Laurence Whitlow and working for about $4 an hour at a dry cleaner. Riley said Smith would not be charged with eluding authorities because he was indicted after he had left town.

Smith skipped an ethics hearing before the state Supreme Court in December 1984 and left the area soon afterward. He was indicted by a county grand jury in 1985 and charged with taking $493,000 from 16 South Jersey residents between May 1980 and September 1984. Riley said there would be a restitution hearing to determine exactly how much of the clients' money is missing.

Some clients have received reimbursements from the Clients Security Fund of the Bar of New Jersey. The agency, set up by the state Supreme Court and funded by mandatory contributions from the state's lawyers, compensates victims who lose money due to dishonest lawyers.

The fund has so far paid $159,380 to 11 former clients of Smith's, according to Marian B. Copeland, the fund's deputy counsel.

Two Men Follow Trail To Honors For Work With Indian Guides

Source: http://articles.philly.com/1991-03-31/news/25792533_1_indian-princess-programs-indian-guides-drug-and-alcohol-programs

By Louise Harbach, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: March 31, 1991

Matthew Kenney had such fond memories of his days as an Indian Guide that when the YMCA of Burlington County asked him several years ago to help organize a youth chapter in Moorestown, he jumped at the opportunity.

As a youngster, Medford resident Don Lightfoot was never an Indian Guide, but when the Y asked him if he would help out, he volunteered to become a leader because he wanted to spend more time with his four children.

To honor their commitment to the YMCA Indian Guide and Indian Princess programs for parents and children, the Burlington County YMCA gave the two its Joe Friday award earlier this month to acknowledge their years of service and leadership. They are the first New Jersey recipients of the national award the Y gives in recognition of longtime service to the Indian Guides.

The Indian Guide and Indian Princess programs were started in 1926 by the director of the YMCA in St. Louis and today are among the most popular programs the YMCA offers, said Kristen Mahoney, a Burlington County Y official.

"I got involved with the program years ago because my father was a tribal leader (in Indian Guide)," said Kenney, of Moorestown, who works for a hydraulic lifting equipment company in Philadelphia. "I had so many good memories of those times, and I wanted my own my children to enjoy the program."

Now that his oldest son, Michael, is 13, Kenney said he would start a new group, the Trailblazers, for young teenage boys.

And Kenney will wear the same vest his father wore in leading the meetings.

Lightfoot, a manager with Smith Kline Beecham who first volunteered 10 years ago when his oldest daughter, Andrea, wanted to join, will assist Kenney with the program.

"One reason why I've stayed so involved with the program is that it's been so beneficial to all my children and to me," said Lightfoot.

*

Although he gets a paycheck for only one of his professions, Delran Police Officer Leonard Mongo still enjoys his other work, which does not pay a cent: teaching.

In fact, he is so good at teaching that the Delran school board earlier this month made him an honorary teacher in the district. The honor was in recognition of Mongo's years of service as a speaker for drug and alcohol programs and for other events.

"I really like working with kids," said Mongo, a 20-year veteran of the police force and a resident of Delran. "Whenever they want someone to talk to the kids about drugs, alcohol or bicycle safety, or for any other event, I like to come to the schools," he said.

But it took a bit of subterfuge to get Mongo to the high school where the school board was meeting so he could receive the award.

"I thought my daughter Sadye and a lot of other kids were to be honored, but when I got to the school, I saw my brother there and a lot of other family members, but few kids," said Mongo.

The primary reasons for his involvement, said Mongo, are his three children: Shannon, a recent Delran High School graduate who now attends Glassboro State College; Scott, a senior at the high school, and Sadye, a fourth grader at Millbridge Elementary School in the district.

What was a loss for Morris County's Association of Retarded Citizens chapter was the Burlington County chapter's gain.

Immediately after moving to Westampton three years ago, Michele DiFalco enrolled her son Anthony in Learn-A-Way, a learning program for profoundly retarded infants and children that is run by the Burlington County chapter of the Association of Retarded Citizens (ARC).

Now she is on the chapter's board of directors. In addition, she has been head of the board's Parent Liaison Committee and has organized several fund- raising events. She recently was named volunteer of the year by the Burlington County chapter of ARC.

This award marks the second time the Burlington County ARC has honored DiFalco. Two years ago, she received the group's parent of the year award.

"It's really hard to say no," said DiFalco, who works part time as a pastry chef at Cafe Gallery in Burlington City. "Helping ARC is a way of saying thank you for the help they have given my son."

In addition, the Burlington County chapter has cited Thelma Mathis of Ewing Township and her church sewing group at Church of the Covenant near Trenton. The sewing group makes baby bibs for the chapter's infant stimulation program.

After she started a nonprofit organization for ex-offenders who are homeless, Blonnie Hobbs of Willingboro wanted to take some leadership courses to give her the skills she needed to make her organization successful.

But when she checked out what was offered, "the bottom line was $900," said Hobbs, a social worker for the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in Clinton. "That's how much it would have cost to take leadership courses."

Because that amount was out of her price range, Hobbs forgot about taking any courses until she found out about the New Jersey Family Community Leadership Institute, part of a nationwide leadership program to encourage local participation in public issues, particularly those affecting families.

Like Hobbs, Barbara Smith of Burlington Township, an advertising sales manager for the Mount Holly Gazette, was looking for leadership courses to help her strengthen community involvement in the Mount Holly area.

"It was probably the best $30 I ever spent," Smith said of the 30-hour seminars held last month. "With the skills we learned, we hope to make others aware of the importance of community involvement."

Since they have participated in the seminars sponsored by the New Jersey Extension Home Economics Council and the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, the two women will teach the skills they learned at workshops planned by Burlington County's Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

For information about the leadership institute call 265-5051.

HONORABLE MENTION: Frank Salicandro of Medford has been named the recipient of the Italian Navigator Award from the Enrico Fermi Lodge 2229 in Mount Laurel.

A former band leader who entertained U.S. troops during World War II, Salicandro was cited for founding the Burlington County Pops, the Medford String Band, the Chamber Players and other musical groups.

The award is named after Enrico Fermi, the winner of a Nobel Prize for his work in physics. Fermi got his nickname, the Italian Navigator, from Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

The girls' basketball team at Indian Mills School in Shamong has won the championship of the Eastern Burlington County Middle School League with an overall record of 17-1. This marks the seventh consecutive season that Indian Mills girls' basketball teams have either won or shared the regular-season championship.

Members of this year's team were Stephanie Daniels, Julie DiGiacomo, Suzanne Whitehead, Casey Jiampetti, Jen Breaux, Nicki Mace, Diana La Rocca, Julie Kimball, Anna Shimonis, Stacie Yates, Charlene Heinsinger, Jodie Taylor, Beth Duffy, Lynael Matthews, Angel Aristone, Jodie Denn and Krystyn Stratton.

Ernest Levin of Pennsauken has been named teacher of the year at the Riverton School. Levin, who was selected by teachers and parents for the honor, has taught at the school for 17 years. He teaches reading in grades five through eight and also is a track coach at Holy Cross High School in Delran.

Young Heroine Shuns Notoriety As Prosecutors Present Awards

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150918201545/http://articles.philly.com/1991-05-18/news/25795394_1_service-awards-medical-examiner-citizen-awards

By John Way Jennings, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: May 18, 1991

Six-year-old Jamie Formisano of Lindenwold clutched a white rose in her hand and tried to hide in her father's arms. She clearly did not relish the limelight.

But relish it or not, the moment was hers as she and more than 35 other people or groups were presented awards yesterday and Thursday night by the Prosecutor's Offices in Camden and Burlington Counties for recognition of their actions during the past year.

Jamie was only five when she dialed 911 for help after her mother collapsed in their apartment from an epileptic seizure. Sally Ann Bowen, a New Jersey Bell operator, was able to keep the child on the phone while the number she was calling from was traced through a computer.

Jamie and Bowen,also of Lindenwold, both received citizen awards from Camden County Prosecutor Edward F. Borden Jr.

After yesterday's ceremony in a Camden County Hall of Justice courtroom, Jamie was congratulated by her parents, John and Diana Formisano, her grandparents and sister.

Formisano said his wife had been teaching Jamie for some time how to use the phone if there was an emergency.

A Valor Award was given to Sgt. Daniel Vautier, of the Camden police, who captured a man who had pointed a loaded gun at him during a foot chase.

Burlington County Prosecutor Stephen G. Raymond presented Procops awards to four police officers, a medical examiner, four citizens and one group. He also presented recognition awards to two organizations during a banquet Thursday at the Kove Caterer in Edgewater Park.

Awards for performance above and beyond the call of duty went to three police officers and the Burlington County medical examiner.

In July, Lt. Ronald Rossi of Delran removed live electric wires that had fallen on a car after a traffic accident and were endangering a passenger.

In October, Sgt. Frederick O. Brown of Bordentown responded to a burglary and sexual assault call at an apartment complex and arrested a suspect on the scene.

Detective Stephen Endt of Medford developed several crime prevention and education programs in his community.

Dr. Joseph DeLorenzo, the Burlington County medical examiner, was cited for being helpful in numerous criminal investigations that resulted in arrests.

Other awards included:

Service awards: Detective Sgt. Robert J. Rusin of Haddonfield; Lt. Robert J. Fair of Gloucester City; Detective Michael Crowther of the PATCO Police Department; Patrolman Robert Raio of Berlin Borough; Sgt. Roy Whitmore of Merchantville; Detective Robert Morley of Pennsauken, and Detectives John Greer and Thomas Brutschea, both of the Pine Hill Police Department.

Unit citation: Collingswood Police Department.

Commendations: Patrolmen Richard Nelson and Patrick Waninger of the Delaware River Port Authority, and Patrolmen Vincent Brunick, David Richman, Edward Glassman, and Sgt. George Knight Jr., all from the Camden Police Department.

Merit awards: Camden patrol officers Louis DiRenzo; Gary Hunt; Patrick M. Hall; Keith Johnson; Magdalena Zambrana, and Daniel Vause.

Heroism awards: Capt. Augustus Balzano of the Camden County Prosecutor's Office; Lt. John Spavlik of Collingswood, and Investigator Edward H. Slimm of the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

Career recognition award: Retired Col. Eugene Olaff of the New Jersey State Police.

Certificates of recognition: Deborah Lee Brock and Eva Ramos, employees of Memorial Hospital of Burlington County; Kelly Dinardi, a volunteer with the Division of Youth and Family Services, and Dr. Martin Finkel, who has assisted law enforcement efforts in cases of suspected child abuse.

Also cited were the Mount Holly Police Department, NFL Films and the Burlington County Times.

State Aids Police In Battling Dwi

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150919090711/http://articles.philly.com/1991-08-15/news/25806344_1_dwi-patrols-police-cars-police-departments

By Marego Athans, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: August 15, 1991

Five Burlington County police departments have received more than $21,000 in state funds to help them fight drunken driving.

Burlington City, Willingboro, Delran, Delanco and Pemberton Borough were among 68 police forces in the state that were awarded a total of $486,000 by the Division of Motor Vehicles in the most recent round of funding, state officials announced July 23.

The funds, which are distributed quarterly in amounts corresponding to the number of drunken-driving convictions a police department obtains, must be used for training, overtime or equipment relating to the enforcement of drunken-driving laws.

"It gives us another avenue to . . . address the problem in a more aggressive way - so drivers beware," said Burlington City Police Chief Lee Breece, whose department received about $10,000, the highest amount in the county.

Willingboro received about $4,800, Delran got about $2,600, Delanco got about $2,100, and Pemberton Borough got slightly more than $1,600.

Breece said his department would use the money to set up a special task force featuring either specific DWI patrols or DWI roadblocks. With the high cost of overtime pay, police budgets often do not allow for specific drunken- driving patrols, he said.

"It's at no cost to the taxpayer and doesn't mess up my budget," Breece said.

He said the program would not be designed "to harass the public or ambush or intimidate, but to raise awareness."

The program, called the Drunk Driving Enforcement Fund, was established in 1984. For each police department, the Division of Motor Vehicles keeps an account that includes a certain amount of money for each drunken-driving conviction. Each quarter, police departments can apply for the funds.

The funds can be used for such practices as overtime for DWI patrols and court appearances, audiovisual equipment, blood-testing kits, training programs, police cars specifically designated as DWI patrol cars, or computers.

"Police departments have come to depend on this money as a way to supplement enforcements and as a source of revenue," said Lisa Guide, director of communications at the DMV.

Sgt. Ted Paulson, who runs the training program for the Willingboro police, said his department had used thousands of dollars worth of the state funds to buy in-car video equipment. The equipment allows officers to videotape cars they suspect are operated by drunken drivers and videotape suspects while they take the balance test.

He said the equipment had helped police officers prove their cases in court.

"It tells no lies," he said. "When the defendant and a defense attorney watch the operation of a vehicle and the balance test, a lot of times we'll get a guilty plea because they actually see the defendant was under the influence. A picture tells a thousand words. If I describe (in a police report) watery eyes, argumentative . . . it's one thing. But if you see it on a videotape, you see what he looks like exactly. Nothing is left up to the imagination."

Some police officials, however, said the amount they get back from the state was not enough to make a significant difference in drunken-driving enforcement.

"They're not giving us anything. We're going out and making the arrest," said Art Saul, acting chief of the Delran Township Police Department. "The average drunken driver on first offense pays $3,000 in fines and surcharges by the time he's done, so we don't get the lion's share."

Saul said that about six years ago, the department ran a drunken-driving program with federal funds distributed through the state. But now, budget constraints have left his and other departments without the resources to devote as much attention to drunken driving.

Still, Saul said, the state funds were helping his department save up for new computers.

Delran Tries To End Space Problems

Source: http://articles.philly.com/1991-09-01/news/25800833_1_municipal-building-new-space-council-members

By Gordon Mayer, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: September 01, 1991

Delran officials are trying to figure out a way to gain more office space for municipal workers without straining the township budget.

Township Council members are exploring two options: building an addition to the present municipal building at 9 Chester Ave. or buying a building nearby, at 1835 Underwood Dr., from developer Tim Whitesell.

The present municipal building was constructed in 1967 and is now too cramped to handle everything the township needs it to do, Council President Andrew Ritzie said recently. He said the township needed more space and new electrical wiring for the countywide 911 emergency system, as well as space for the township's emergency squad.

Council members discussed the space problem with architects Nick Duca and Rich Huder of Duca/Huder, a Moorestown-based architectural firm, at a conference meeting last week. They want the architects to determine whether constructing an addition behind the 10,000-square-foot municipal building or buying the 24,000-square-foot office on Underwood Drive and tailoring it to township needs would be less expensive.

Duca told the council he would have an answer on the cost of new offices by the beginning of October. He said he and Huder then would conduct the second phase of their study to evaluate the township's needs in terms of space for the future.

Whether the council builds or buys, Ritzie said, the new space could cost as much as $1 million. Council members expect a new municipal building to be a touchy issue in Delran, but council members say township employees have been struggling for more than a year in cramped quarters.

Ritzie said the Police Department, which occupies 4,000 square feet in the basement of the municipal building, is a good example.

The holding cell in the station is a small cushioned bench next to an iron rod where prisoners are restrained. The bench is across from the police officers' bathroom, and in the opposite corner from police cameras. Ritzie said the department had had to buy new cameras twice after prisoners in the ''cell" knocked the camera over. The Police Department also violates state law because it isn't accessible to the handicapped, Ritzie said.

Not only will the Police Department and the 911 emergency system require more room, council members said, but agencies such as the sewerage authority, tax collector and the zoning board already are packed together like sardines.

Ritzie also said there was a problem of space for the Delran Emergency Squad. The squad, housed in the Fire Company No. 2 station on Alden Avenue, will have to move out of the fire station in May when the company gets new fire equipment.

Party Set For Delran Fire Station

Source: http://articles.philly.com/1991-09-05/news/25801804_1_fire-station-fire-company-plans-equipment-maintenance-room

By Gordon Mayer, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: September 05, 1991

Sometimes history has to take a back seat to pragmatism, even for a fire company that runs on tradition.

"You miss the history, but you've got to advance with the times," said Delran Fire Chief Paul Matlack, who is also a member of Company No. 1. "If you don't progress with the times, you fall behind."

This year, the all-volunteer company put up a new glass-and-concrete building where the old brick station stood at 9 Bridgeboro Ave. It's a big change for the 75-year-old company, whose membership lists read like a family tree, with whole families on the active-duty rolls. But members are pleased with a station that fits all their needs.

On Saturday, the fire company plans a party for Delran residents with a guest list that includes everyone from U.S. Rep. Jim Saxton (R., 13th District) to the high school jazz band.

The ceremonies start about 1 p.m., and the building will be open for residents to view from noon to 4 p.m. The celebration will feature clowns, a hot air balloon and free sandwiches and soft drinks, said Wesley Espenschied, an administrator of Fire Company No. 1 and Delran fire commissioner.

The event is part of the company's yearlong 75th anniversary festivities. It also is a reward to residents who voted two years ago for a $1 million fire district bond that paid for the building, Matlack said. "They (the voters) approved it overwhelmingly and we told them when we built it we'd have a big party," he said.

Fire Company No. 1 took up residence this spring in the new building, which was erected directly in front of the old fire station. . Demolishing the old firehouse where they had stayed in the interim was the last step in the construction, Espenschied said.

Even though the company members value the past, Espenschied said, they wanted a new building that would better suit their needs to replace its precarious 75-year-old ancestor.

The old building had been altered since it was first built in 1916, Espenschied said, but the original structure remained. Over the years, the floor had sunk and cracks opened in the walls that were almost big enough for company members to put their hand in, Matlack said.

The new station's 11,000 square feet will easily accommodate the two class- A pumpers, 100-foot ladder truck, brush-fire unit, Cascade utility unit and a Memorial County of Burlington Hospital paramedic unit based in Delran, Matlack said. He said the building also included a sprinkler system, training room with videocassette recorder, a kitchen and an equipment maintenance room.

Emergency Squad Is Booted Out To Make Room For Fire Equipment

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150921041445/http://articles.philly.com/1991-09-08/news/25803703_1_fire-equipment-fire-truck-municipal-building

By Gordon Mayer, Special to The Inquirer

Posted: September 08, 1991

When the new 55-foot Seagrave squirt truck rolls into the Delran Fire Company No. 2 on Alden Avenue in May, the Emergency Squad will have to move out. It's a final step toward separation of the two groups, which once formed a single organization.

The problem is a lack of space in the fire station.

Emergency Squad Capt. Don Horner declined to comment on the move, which the squad has known about since the fire company purchased its first large piece of fire equipment in 1985. But township officials and others said the township would find a home for the squad.

"It's all happening at exactly the wrong time," Delran Council President Andrew Ritzie said.

The squad had hoped to get approval for an addition to the fire station or for a new building for its own use, but the township's budget problems disrupted the squad's plans, council members said.

Ritzie said that including space for the squad in a new municipal building or in an addition to the present building would be the cheapest way to give both township employees and members of the squad the room they need. The township also is considering giving the squad space in a nearby building it is considering buying.

The all-volunteer Emergency Squad is the township's only squad. Township officials say the present municipal building at 9 Chester Ave. is too small for their needs.

Last year, the township collected only about 92 percent of taxes owed because six of the largest landowners in town failed to pay. The loss of that money "ruined a lot of possibilities" for the squad, Ritzie said. Without the tax money, the township had less freedom to help the squad with a new building.

"If we're going to solve one problem, we might as well solve them all," Ritzie said.

Leaving the Alden Avenue firehouse will be like leaving home for the Emergency Squad, said Jim Bauer, president of Fire Company No. 2 and a lieutenant in the Emergency Squad.

Members of Fire Company No. 2 were among the founders of the squad in the late 1930s, Bauer said, and the squad's first vehicle was a surplus fire truck.

But since the fire company bought a modern fire truck in 1985, its officers have known that the building could not house both firefighting and ambulance equipment in the firehouse, built in 1928.

"Even now, there's an ambulance in front of the first-out (first-response) truck," Bauer said.

For the fire company as well as the squad, space needs have grown with equipment needs over the years, he said.

In the last six years, the Emergency Squad looked at "five or 10 different scenarios," according to Bauer. For two of these ideas, the squad got as far as commissioning architect Nick Duca of Medford to design an addition or freestanding building that would house its four ambulances, two boats and miscellaneous medical supplies stored in about a half-dozen 8-foot-high cabinets at the fire station.

Duca said he would incorporate some of those plans into another design he was doing for the Township Council's new municipal facilities.

Councilman Henry Shinn, who also is a member of Fire Company No. 2, said two factors had limited the Emergency Squad in its search for a new home: finances and location.

The squad did try to raise money through a local fund drive for new construction but failed to raise enough, Shinn said. And, he added, there are only a few lots in town suitable for the squad to build on because it needs to be centrally located to cut down on response time to any part of town.

One reason response time hasn't been a problem in the past is that historically, the volunteers who staff the squad's ambulances live in the Riverside Park area where the firehouse is, Shinn said. Because they can get to the ambulance quickly, overall response time stays low.

Bauer said that as a member of the Emergency Squad, he had mixed feelings about the move.

He will miss the camaraderie, he said. "You get friendships. People watch TV together, hang out together. . . . It's like somebody growing up and leaving home."

Vechesky's Retired - Well, Officially He Is

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150912171928/http://articles.philly.com/1992-03-22/news/26019572_1_new-clerk-autograph-collection-administrator

By Charlie Frush, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Posted: March 22, 1992

The last time Dave Vechesky played 18 holes of golf was two years ago. Last year, he played nine.

"I don't want that to happen again," he said. "I used to play six or seven times a year."

1992 will be different.

He says.

Vechesky, 62, officially retired in February after serving 17 years as clerk of the City of Burlington and before that 14 years on the Common Council, and now he's supposed to be going into the office one day a week to help the transition to a new clerk and a new administrator, although that ''one day" has been known to expand exponentially.

Nevertheless, he said, "I should finish by the end of September. I'm trying to catch up on things that I didn't have time to do through the years," plus orienting his successor, Alexander Shultz, and moving the purchasing and personnel procedures and records into the administrator's realm.

His title may have been clerk, but you could say Vechesky was the de facto administrator.

Because there was no administrator, Vechesky did the purchasing, personnel work and public relations, and was secretary to the council and liaison to the public. And handled the licenses and elections and served on the labor negotiation team and dealt with grievances. So the city got its money's worth.

It was 1960 when he got into government.

"My golf and bowling was terrible (and) there was an opening in the fourth ward for a candidate and the Democrat Party approached me," he said. ''I was a registered Democrat. I was an admirer of FDR and Harry S. Truman."

He served on the council through 1974, when he was asked to become clerk because of his background, which includes a degree from Rider College and a job as a supervisor at the Roebling steel mill.

At Roebling, he said, "I started as a mailboy at 17, went on to college, then I was working nights as summer relief and watchman." He worked there 25 years.

He had come out of Florence High School, where he was a three-sport star, and won an athletic scholarship to Rider, playing guard on the football team. He left for the Marines during the Korean War. When he came back to Rider for his senior year, it had given up football.

"I was the first and only member of my family to go to college," he said, ''not counting my children." Vechesky and his wife, Jessie, sent all four - Daniel, Donna, Diane and Michael - to college.

As for leaving the clerkship, "There comes a time when you have to lean back and smell the roses. After 31 years with the city, I'll work on the autograph collection, work on the golf course."

The autograph collection belongs to his son, Michael, 20, a student at Villanova University, who has amassed more than 8,000 signatures of the famous.

Just a week ago, Dave Vechesky said, they acquired their most recent celebrity - "Tony Randall. He's doing a show in New York. We sent him a clipping from a newspaper about himself and he autographed it and sent it back."

During years of being keyed up for council meetings, he had to deal with the fact that "when you get home late on a Tuesday night, you can't sleep." To this day, he said, "I sleep very little."

So he listened to old radio shows. "I have big-band music as well as old shows on record - Fibber McGee, the Lone Ranger, Tarzan, Terry and the Pirates. I liked those shows."

Or if he still can't drop off, he can switch on Benny Goodman, Harry James or the Dorsey brothers.

Failing that, maybe this year he can replay some golf shots in his mind.

*

In Moorestown, when in doubt, they ask Harry Koons to do it.

Koons' inability to say no to a worthwhile endeavor was recognized in February, when the Interservice Club Council named him Moorestown's citizen of the year, taking note of his work on behalf of at least eight civic projects or organizations in recent years.

Koons, 66, runs a computer consultancy and a package drop-off service in a building opposite the Friends School on Main Street, but his heart also resides in the Moorestown Rotary, the Moorestown Business Association and the House Committee of the Moorestown Community House.

He served on the school redistricting committee a couple of years ago, on the committee to rehabilitate Memorial Field, and he chaired the committee that initiated the popular Moorestown calendar. He's a member of the Moorestown Appearance Committee and president of the Tollgate Condominium Association.

A busy agenda, he said, is "not too bad if you make up your mind to do it. And do it right away. If you put it off, it never gets done. If people call me during the day and ask me to do something and I have the time, why not? I guess I never learned to say no."

Koons is a transplant from Perth Amboy. The Army sent him in 1943 to Syracuse University, then Ohio State University under a special program to cram four years of engineering into two. "Of course, I ended up in the infantry," he said, serving in Europe until 1946.

Once back home, "I decided I was going to be an accountant" and enrolled at Seton Hall, only to transfer to the University of Kansas, from which he graduated in 1950 after majoring in personnel management. "It only took me six years to get out of college."

He moved to Moorestown when he was transferred by his employer, Hess Oil, in 1954, and moved on to Banner Moving & Storage in 1976. He was a partner in an indoor tennis facility in Delran for a decade.

"I sold it in 1982 and I was sitting around the house and my children - they were both in college - got tired of seeing me doing nothing and gave me an old Atari computer and said, 'Here, learn.' I was as afraid as anyone else to turn it on, but I always did like math in school and it was fun and it's still fun."

Expertise came through osmosis. "Both of my children are computer programmers. My son-in-law is a computer programmer and my daughter-in-law has her own business and is involved with computers."

Koons also has another passion.

"I had some eye operations in the late '60s, couldn't work," he said, so his wife, Jackye, suggested that hooking rugs could rehabilitate his sight. Not only is he working on his "third or fourth rug," but "not too long ago, I made the mistake of telling her that needlepoint was easy and she said 'I'm working on this chair; here, finish it.' "

He does not contemplate retirement.

"I don't like getting up early in the morning, but I enjoy going to work every day. I would go crazy sitting around the house."

Besides, he doesn't bring business home.

"I don't have a computer at home," he said. "I get enough of it during the day."

For some of us, history is a seven-letter word and a subject we took in high school.

For Arthur Saul, it's much more. He relishes walking the battlefields at Vicksburg, Lookout Mountain or Chattanooga, imagining the crack of musket fire, the belch of cannon smoke, visualizing the blue or gray ranks charging into a hail of lead.

That's how he spends vacations.

"I like the Civil War," Saul said. "I have a large library, mostly history and World War II. My wife and I have visited a lot of battlefields all through the South. It's fun to read a book, but when you go through the national parks and see where it happened, it makes it that much better."

That's one aspect of the man who last month succeeded David Banff as head of the Delran police department. After 18 months, Saul dropped the "acting" part of the "acting chief" title and was sworn in to head the force of 22 officers and 21 dispatchers, clerks and crossing guards.

Saul, 45, has always been in police work.

After graduating from Riverside High School in 1965, he enlisted in the military police. "I figured I would like police work," he said.

"I ended up spending a year in a military police battalion in Vietnam that was in charge of the security of Saigon. Saigon had three to four million people then. We had over 1,000 MPs, so we handled narcotics, murder, security, terrorist activity."

When his enlistment ended in 1969, Delran hired him as a patrolman. In two years, he made detective, and in 1982, lieutenant.

He earned two degrees in justice - an associate diploma from Burlington County College and a bachelor's from Glassboro State College. He served two years on the Delran Board of Education in the early 1980s. He and his wife, Gloria, an office manager, have three daughters - Kelly Bader, of Riveside, 23; and at home, Sherry, 20, and Buffy, 19.

He also has a second diversion - old cars.

"I always liked old cars," he said. "When I went to school all they thought about was their cars. Kids today don't really know what a good car is."

In the domain of good cars, he'd place a '67 Mustang, a '64 Fairlane and a '67 Ford pickup, which is what constitutes his collection. "The Mustang has been restored," he said, "the Fairlane is halfway there and I'm just starting to work on the pickup."

He labors on them when he can find time. "I do all the motor work, some of the body work," he said. "Parts are readily available for the Mustang," he said, "but Fairlane parts are not reproduced anymore. The two-door Fairlane sports coupe is getting to be fairly rare."

That's one of his biggest headaches. The other is a common one: "Finding the money to buy the parts."

Police Can Go In Style To The Scene Medford's New Bus Has Been Used Five Times. None Of The Trips Was In Response To A Crime.

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150919095632/http://articles.philly.com/1992-07-05/news/26026839_1_new-bus-first-bus-medford

By Anne Tergesen, INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT

Posted: July 05, 1992

Parked behind the unassuming building that houses Medford's 34-member Police Department is a sight that seems out of place in the quiet township - a full-size bus bristling with state-of-the-art communications technology and SWAT-team equipment.

The bus, used five times since its debut in May, boasts an impressive array of features: a shower; a kitchen; an advanced alarm system; weapons cabinets; a compartment where police, fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel can coordinate operations; radios; phone lines; a map board; a television, and an AM/FM stereo.

And it is yet to be fully equipped.

When it is, in the next few months, according to Capt. Steve McGarvey, it will also have its own generator, two computers and a VCR, as well as a new paint and lettering job on the exterior.

This bus replaces one the department had used since 1982.

Why, you may wonder, does a town like Medford need a sophisticated mobile command unit of this magnitude?

The answer, according to McGarvey, is not that crime in Medford has increased dramatically. Rather, it is that the bus can make even the most routine situation more efficient or easier on the staff.

"We've gotten so many unusual uses out of (the old bus). . . . It's not a toy, it's an investment," he said.

For example, when the station's phone lines were accidentally cut, the bus became the department's communications lifeline to the community. When Nancy Reagan visited Camp Ockanickon in July 1984, the bus was on the scene.

Of the new bus' five outings, three have been for training, one was to coordinate radio communications during a bike-a-thon, and the other was to provide a rest spot for department members during Medford's recent arts festival.

The department bought its first bus in 1982 specifically to hasten the response to possible drownings, McGarvey said.

Since then, the bus' uses have gradually expanded to include large fires, parades, water main breaks, missing-person searches, stakeouts, suicide attempts and hostage situations, of which McGarvey recalls two or three in his 19 years on the force.

While the department has always informally lent the bus to neighboring communities, a 1990 directive from the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office formalized that arrangement.

The towns reimburse Medford for the cost of labor, but Medford covers maintenance, estimated by McGarvey at $500 a year.

Willingboro, Mount Laurel and the county police have similar emergency- response vehicles. With the exception of a new bus bought by the county for $125,783, the vehicles have not been much of a burden on taxpayers. Medford, for example, bought and refurbished its bus in 1990 with just more than $30,000 in drug-forfeiture money awarded to the department. To economize, police and residents customized the bus themselves, McGarvey said.

Are all these buses necessary? "It's a necessary evil, if you will," said Lt. George Pfeffer of Delran. "Redundancy is often the best route to go with emergency services," added Mount Laurel's director of public safety, Sandy Weinstein.

But Sgt. Ted Paulson of the Willingboro Police Department said he believed maintenance costs alone justified consolidation to one or two vehicles under the auspices of the county.

"The idea of a mobile command unit is good, but how many of them do we need in the county?" he asked.

Delran Says No To Joint Policing Riverside Had Asked About Combining Their Forces To Save Money.

Source: http://articles.philly.com/1992-10-11/news/25999041_1_police-force-police-services-police-departments

By Anne Tergesen, INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT

Posted: October 11, 1992

In July, the Riverside Township Committee approached Delran with a proposition to save both townships money: In a brief letter, the committee asked its neighbor whether it would be interested in exploring a combined police force.

Recently, Delran's five-member Township Council mailed a perfunctory response: Thanks, but no thanks. We're fine the way we are.

"Basically, what the committee is looking at is options to cutting the budget," Riverside Deputy Mayor Robert Renshaw said.

The Riverside Police Department was a logical place to start for two reasons, he said. First, it has been rocked by crises, including the indictment of Chief Harry Collinsworth in June and the removal of Sgt. Donald Horner as acting chief amid allegations of domestic violence. Second, the department's projected $639,000 in expenditures is the largest part of the township's $3.06 million budget this year.

While township officials are quick to say they have regained confidence in their 13-member police force, they add that at some point Riverside is likely to revisit the issue of combining, or regionalizing, its force because of tighter budgetary constraints.

"With the state taking away the money they've been taking away and mandating (more services), it's been harder and harder to meet the budget," Renshaw said. He added that regionalization of the police force might come ''down the road," but only if the township could be assured that it would improve police protection while saving money.

"Police services have historically been the toughest nut to crack in terms of regionalization," said Jay Johnston, spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. His agency has been helping municipalities look into the practicality of providing joint services.

"People like having their own police departments," he said. "It gives them a sense of security and identity. . . . The thought of having their streets patrolled by a car with some other municipality's name on it leads on a subconscious level to people thinking they are no longer the master of their own fate."

Other obstacles to combined forces include the power of police unions, the reluctance of entrenched hierarchies to share authority with other departments, the likelihood of layoffs and the public's perception that service would suffer.

As for Delran, Mayor Thomas DiLauro said, "We saw no benefits to our residents and a lot of extra problems for our already overworked policemen." Specifically, Delran council members were concerned that Riverside's 11 bars would add to the workload of its 21 officers.

Michael Carroll, Riverside's acting police chief, agreed: "I don't ever worry about it (a merger) because I know what kind of work this place does." Carroll said the 1,084 arrests his department made last year would deter other towns from combining with it.

Delran's force made 672 arrests in the same period, according to Delran Lt. Robert Kraemer.

Few municipalities are considering regionalization now, but tight budgets and rising police costs will compel many more to do so, said Leo Culoo, a consultant to police departments. Culoo recently completed a study indicating that three Morris County towns could save $200,000 a year in salaries by combining - in part by reducing personnel from about 50 to 42 officers.

"I think we're going to see a consolidation. Once it's proven effective, you'll see a floodgate," Culoo said.

Study On Delran Town Hall Cites Various Shortcomings Many Would Violate Current Codes. And A Major Renovation Could Make Meeting New Standards Necessary.

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150922111645/http://articles.philly.com/1992-12-27/news/25992981_1_codes-town-hall-building

By Josh Zimmer, INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT

Posted: December 27, 1992

DELRAN — If the township municipal building were a person, it could be facing a judge.

Pick any state law governing handicapped access, fire protection, building construction or police department layout, and the 25-year-old structure would be in violation of some aspect of it.

The architectural firm Duca & Huder, which is being paid $9,500 to survey the township's needs for municipal office space, made the point as clear as the clap of a judge's gavel during a preliminary report to the Township Council on Dec. 16.

At times, the list of items that don't meet current code standards was overwhelming.

"Some of these things are so bad you either laugh or you cry," Councilman Andrew Ritzie said.

"I kind of expected them (the violations). I didn't expect that many," Councilman Anthony Ogozalek said later.

How to remedy the space problems - and upgrade the building to present-day codes - has been a nagging problem for this council, as it was for the previous one, which was turned out of office in May.

Duca & Huder finished a similar but much less detailed survey late last year that compared the town hall with a vacant structure owned by the Whitesell Construction Co. Inc. on Underwood Court.

Both councils have considered buying the Whitesell building and converting it into a new town hall. But the present council, which has asked Mayor Tom DiLauro to negotiate a purchase price with Whitesell, is clearly afraid of upsetting taxpayers with proposals for new expenditures before the township's needs are clear.

Many of the deficiencies listed by Duca are violations of the state code requiring handicapped-accessible restrooms, drinking fountains and doors.

The building also doesn't have proper lighting, firewalls or a fire- detection system with a strobe light for the deaf, Duca said. Although the building met standards when it was built in 1967, he said, all those problems would violate the state's building codes today.

"Public Safety is in, what I consider, the worst condition," Duca told the council as Police Chief Art Saul sat nearby. The cramped station is inaccessible to handicapped people and violates standards set by the state Department of Corrections, Duca said.

Other deficiencies would not violate codes but could use improvement anyway, he said, mentioning an out-of-date sprinkler system, inadequate ventilation, a roof in need of repair and an electrical system that has reached capacity.

The township may not be required to make all of the modifications, said Duca. Under state law, the building would have to meet current standards only if the council decided to renovate 5 percent or more of it.

The preliminary report also estimates the township's future municipal-space needs, based on the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission's estimate that Delran will have a population of about 20,000 in the year 2012.

According to Duca, the local government will need 9,000 square feet as opposed to the present 5,400 square feet. The Police Department's needs will rise fivefold, from the present 1,320 square feet to 7,400 square feet in 2012.

And the Public Works Department, currently crowded into 2,268 square feet, will eventually require 6,160 square feet, Duca said.

A final report containing options and cost estimates is expected by mid- January, Duca said.

Female Firefighter Is Headed For A New Title Delran Woman Is Set To Be The County's First Female Chief.

Source: http://articles.philly.com/1993-01-17/news/25961412_1_female-firefighter-fire-companies-three-children

By Charlie Frush, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Posted: January 17, 1993

DELRAN — The firefighters at Delran Fire Company No. 1 know Dorothea Bennett as ''Dottie" and sometimes they call her "Mom," but in two years they should be addressing her by a title no woman in the history of Burlington County has ever carried.

Chief.

No woman has ever been chief of a Burlington County fire department, and no other holds as high a rank as Bennett's, although she will not be the first woman chief in the state.

Bennett, 47, has been deputy chief of Delran No. 1 for two years, since taking over without fanfare when Paul Matlack stepped up to the job of chief of the Delran Fire Department, leading both of the township's fire companies.

Because the chief's job is alternated between the two companies, the top officer at each company - the deputy chief - is always a chief-apparent.

Thus, Bennett stands to follow Craig Manning, the former deputy chief of Fire Company No. 2, who succeeded Matlack this month.

If nominated by her station and appointed by the district fire commissioners, she will make chief in January 1995.

"She W-I-L-L be chief of the department," County Fire Marshal Dick McKendrick flatly predicted. And there will be no foul-ups. "That's not going to happen," McKendrick said. "She's going to be chief of the department."

There are 76 fire companies among the 40 county municipalities, and high- ranking female officers are not numerous. They include Karen Shontz Irick, who served last year as a captain in Vincent Fire Company No. 1 in Vincentown, and Kathy Kirvan, who held the rank of lieutenant in the Masonville Fire Company in Mount Laurel last year.

Bennett probably would be the second woman to attain the title of chief among New Jersey's more than 500 companies. The first was in 1985, when Debra Garvin, now Debra Stoms, became chief of Lower Alloways Creek Township Fire and Rescue in Salem County at age 27.

Getting into the firefighting business wasn't easy for Bennett, but from the beginning, she had the support of her husband, Joseph, a former chief. Later, two of her three children joined the company - Theresa, 26, and Joseph A. Jr., 19. Only Suzanne, a 21-year-old student at Trenton State, battles no blazes.

When Bennett joined the company 24 years ago, sexism existed, even if it wasn't called that.

She doesn't like to dwell on it - "That's all behind," she said - but when she came aboard, "females were few and far between. The firehouse was the place guys went to get away from home," and a woman could expect verbal and physical hazing.

It was once rocky for her children, too. As teenagers, Bennett said, "they were embarrassed because their mom was a firefighter. It was harder for the girls." Today, fortunately, "the firehouse is their family, too. A lot of friends they made belong to the firehouse."

Bennett, an office manager for an oral surgeon, belonged to the fire company's auxiliary when she decided in 1978 to join the company itself because her husband was there. He was chief 20 years ago and is today the company's engineer.

"Being spouses and also best friends, we do everything together," she said. "The fire company became our second family. I wouldn't be here if not for him. He's my mentor."

Bennett said she spends 40-hour weeks at the fire company on paperwork, planning, drills and cleaning, in addition to firefighting. "We have to maintain our trucks. It takes time to plan drills," which are held at least once a week.

She keeps herself physically conditioned, too. "I power walk three times a week, 12-minute miles, to try to keep in shape. The demands are great." Plus, she added, "I'm a Type-A personality."

Continued training is a must. "You never know it all. The day you think you know it all is the day you better hang it up."

She nearly did that back in the early 1980s. She and two others were battling a blaze at an apartment complex.

"We were on the second floor, and the building started to deteriorate." Although the roof came down on them, they escaped unhurt.

Delran No. 1 answered about 325 calls last year. Bennett guesses she was on at least a third of those. Sometimes, the people at her regular job have to bend with her. "I don't like to do that, but sometimes I've had to go in late because I've been out at an early-morning fire."

She sees more and more female career firefighters. "I went to a class in Florida, and it was all women from all over the country. It was a nice feeling to see how many there are in the paid fire service."

One problem for women firefighters seeking advancement is that the job can demand they make more sacrifices than men. For example, "when it comes time to have a family, obviously you cannot expose your unborn child to the (toxic substances) you might face," said Kirvan, the former lieutenant in Mount Laurel.

For personal reasons, Irick and Kirvan decided not to seek more responsibility in their fire companies in 1993. Kirvan is getting married in November and surrendered her lieutenancy at the end of last year.

Irick, 24, who served the last three years as second lieutenant, then first lieutenant, then captain, will cut back to company photographer and secretary this year for two reasons. She and her husband, Chris, a member of the state forest fire service, are thinking of starting a family, and Chris may be transferred to another location.

Some members of her company wanted Irick to run for second assistant chief, but, she said, "I wasn't sure I could be there for a full year, and I didn't think that would be fair."

Irick said she had joined the company "because I saw a friend's barn burn down, and I got upset because I couldn't help. I joined the next day."

That was in August 1987.

In her own company, Irick said, she has seen no resentment, but "once in a while I got shocked looks from people in other companies asking: Who is this? How did she get to be so high? My own company defended me, took pride in me."

When other companies boasted of their female members, she said, her own firemen would remark, "You should see our captain."

Delran's firefighters may well be making the same kind of remark in 1995 about Bennett, but she's not letting it go to her head.

As the ranking officer at No. 1, Bennett appreciates that "I will rotate, God willing, into the position of chief." But she is chary of being singled out.

"I am just one of many," she said, "doing a job."

New Delran Firetruck In The Works The Ladder Truck Will Be Safer, More Versatile Than The Old One. Expected Cost? About $500,000.

Source: http://articles.philly.com/1993-08-15/news/25969363_1_ladder-truck-new-truck-american-lafrance

By Josh Zimmer, INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT

Posted: August 15, 1993

DELRAN — In a special election, township residents have approved a proposal by the local fire district to spend up to $575,000 for a new ladder truck.

By a 142-59 vote, residents accepted the Fire Commission's contention that the current ladder truck, a 1967 American LaFrance bought secondhand in 1980, was too costly to maintain and did not meet the safety standards set by the National Fire Protection Association.

The Aug. 7 approval of a bond issue reversed the rejection of a similar proposal two years ago.

"It just shows the residents of the township recognize the firefighters are an integral part of the township," Fire Commissioner James Bauer said.

At a meeting scheduled for Aug. 24, the commissioners will probably vote to solicit bids, Bauer said. The new truck, which district officials hope will cost no more than $500,000, should arrive by next summer and is to be housed at Delran Fire Company No. 1 on Bridgeboro Road.

The commission wanted the ability to raise an extra $75,000 because of uncertainty about the truck's final cost and the professional fees associated with bond issues, Bauer said. The commission expects low interest rates to help keep down the cost of the truck.

Having spent the last two years assessing the district's need for a new ladder truck, the commission already knows what it wants and has been discussing designs with the Sutthen Co., Bauer said.

Several features will make the new truck superior to the American LaFrance, Bauer said.

It will meet NFPA standards by including a fully enclosed four-door cabin, which the American LaFrance does not have. Stronger and better engineered, it will be easier to operate. Larger hydraulic outriggers will prevent the ladder truck from budging.

The truck's most conspicuous improvement will be the ladder itself, Bauer said.

It can be angled in various directions as opposed to the straight stick ladder on the American LaFrance, which could be difficult to maneuver, Bauer said. The ladder platform on the American LaFrance was not turning well and completely malfunctioned during a fire last winter on Bridgeboro Road, said Joseph Bernotas, chief of Company No. 1.

A bucket on top of the ladder, which the current truck does not have, will improve safety for the district's 60 to 80 volunteer firefighters. In addition, he said a water gun built into the ladder will eliminate the dangerous practice of hauling a high-pressure hose up the ladder.

"No matter what angle you're at, you can flow the same amount of water and have the same amount of weight" in firefighters, Bauer said, "and not worry about collapsing the ladder or tipping over a truck."

The new truck, which must be fed by a pumper, will be able to push more water: 1,000 gallons per minute compared with 700 gallons per minute, Bauer said.

Impasse Continues On The Issue Of Improving Delran's Town Hall Three Council Members Want To Spend $2 Million To $3 Million. Too Much, The President Insists. They Need His Vote.

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150909231756/http://articles.philly.com/1993-08-29/news/25970843_1_municipal-building-new-building-renovations

By Josh Zimmer, INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT

Posted: August 29, 1993

DELRAN — Council President Anthony Ogozalek is the lone holdout on several plans to replace the town's 27-year-old municipal building - a structure that lacks space and violates many state and federal codes.

Ogozalek wants a less costly solution.

Without his support, the four-member council cannot seek bond money for the project. Four proposals, each costing between $2 million and $3 million, call for buying a building or making major renovations to the town hall.

Ogozalek, who favors relatively minor renovations to the existing building, maintains that major renovations or the purchase of a new building would cost too much. "I don't want to tax people out of Delran."

Under Delran's form of government, four of the five council members must agree on a bond issue. Thus, members predicted that any action on the municipal building would be delayed until January when the fifth council seat is filled. Even then there would be no guarantee of a block of four votes.

"Prior to that, I don't see any movement" on the issue, Councilman Andrew Ritzie said. The issue has been lingering on Delran's agenda since the late 1980s.

Councilman Henry Shinn criticized Ogozalek's stand.

"It's pretty clear that three members of council feel we should move on a new building," Shinn said.

Ogozalek said he wanted to spend about $1 million to expand the building and fix the 15 code violations cited in a $9,600 study commissioned by the council.

The study, completed in May, listed violations such as lack of handicapped access, poor jail facilities, insufficient parking, and poor ventilation and lighting.

A $2.5 million project would cost the owner of a home assessed at $130,000 an extra $44 each year over the life of a 20-year bond, Township Administrator Jeffrey S. Hatcher said.

Two options for expanding and renovating the existing building would cost about $2.7 million, Hatcher said.

But Eileen McGonigle, Ritzie and Shinn favor buying a new building - either the Whitesell Enterprises building at 1835 Underwood Blvd. or the empty Dee's building next to the township offices.

The three say only a new building will satisfy Delran's present and future space needs. They envision a completely new police facility, extra storage space for equipment used by the Public Works Department, and a new Emergency Squad headquarters.

"There are things that are going to have be done in the municipal building that I feel are going to cost a lot more" than buying a new building, McGonigle said.

According to a 1991 study requested by the previous council, the Whitesell building would need about $900,000 in renovations after purchase, Hatcher said.

The council has not studied the whether it would be practical to buy Dee's, but the owner has offered to sell the building for an undisclosed price.

Ritzie said he favored buying Dee's because it is 200 feet from the township building and is 13,000 square feet larger than the Whitesell building.

McGonigle and Shinn said they would be in favor of buying either building.

By delaying a decision on the project, the town remains vulnerable to state fines or lawsuits from residents and employees over unsafe conditions at the current building, Shinn said.

Meeting Tonight On Fire Budget

Source: http://articles.philly.com/1994-02-28/news/25856903_1_fire-district-volunteer-firefighters-budget-proposal

By Louise Harbach, INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT

Posted: February 28, 1994

Following the resignation last week of all but one of the community's volunteer firefighters from Company 202, Cinnaminson's Township Committee will meet tonight with fire district officials to go over the defeated fire district budget.

The meeting will start at 7:30 p.m. at the municipal building on Riverton Road.

Fueled by criticism of fire district spending by a taxpayer revolt group, the local chapter of NJ Hands '91, the budget was defeated, 632 to 261, on Feb. 19. The proposed $1,022,258 budget would have increased taxes from 10 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to 11.5 cents per.

As a result, 27 of the 28 volunteer firefighters from Company 202 on Taylors Lane resigned in protest. So far, firefighters from Company 201 on Cinnaminson Avenue have agreed to stay.

The resignations, effective March 10, would leave Company 202 with two paid firefighters and one volunteer.

Regardless of what happens, Cinnaminson Township Administrator John Ostrowski said, the committee must submit a budget to the state within 30 days of the Feb. 19 election. The fire district budget, he said, could be identical to the one voters rejected or could be an amended version.

Elsewhere, voters in Bordentown Township defeated the two proposed fire district budgets. In District 1, the $313,934 budget proposal lost, 116-55. In District 2, the proposed $265,165 budget was defeated, 24-17. No date has been set to discuss the budgets.

Budgets in all other communities passed. And, with the exception of Cinnaminson, voter turnout was typically low for the 19 fire district elections held across the county. The results are as follows:

Bordentown: In District 1, Salvatore Guido was elected to a three-year term. He defeated Chris Chmiel. In District 2, Commissioner Diane Robinson ran unopposed and received 35 votes for another three-year term.

Beverly: Incumbents Richard Morgan and George Hahn were re-elected to three-year terms. They ran unopposed.

Burlington Township: Incumbents Edmund Cook and Terry Field were re-elected to three-year terms.

Chesterfield: In District 1, Joseph Dubell and Stanley Lewis ran unopposed and were re-elected to three-year terms. In District 2, incumbents Donald Longstreet and Charles Jones ran unopposed and were re-elected to three-year terms.

Cinnaminson: Incumbent William Craney and newcomer Charles Carpenter were elected to three-year terms. They defeated Warren Lamon, Ray Osowski and Clifford Richards.

Delanco: Incumbents John Van Emburgh and Melvin McCloskey ran unopposed and were elected to three-year terms. Newcomers Ralph McCullough and Norma Mohrmann ran unopposed and were elected to two-year unexpired terms.

Delran: Incumbents Charles Kendra Sr. and James Turcich ran unopposed and were re-elected to three-year terms.

Eastampton: Incumbent Ray Markley and newcomer Daniel Paolini ran unopposed and were elected to three-year terms.

Edgewater Park: Incumbent John Loftus defeated newcomer Edward Gitto for a three-year term.

Evesham: Incumbent Edward Snyder and newcomer Larry Sole were elected to three-year terms. Ken Hall also ran.

Florence: Newcomers Robert Carey and Gregory Fransckiewich were elected to three-year terms. Charles Marshall lost.

Moorestown: Incumbent Fred Moriuchi ran unopposed and was re-elected to a three-year term in District 1. In District 2, incumbent Robert Dye and newcomer Jacqueline Grant were elected to three-year terms over incumbent Thomas Brown.

Mount Holly: Challengers Edward Hunt and William Wright defeated incumbents James Miller and James Woodul for three-year terms.

Mount Laurel: Incumbent Joseph Appleton and newcomer Richard Horner were elected to three-year terms, defeating Bryan Schwartz.

Riverside: Incumbent James Rae was re-elected to a three-year term. He ran unopposed.

Tabernacle: Incumbents Donald Perkins and Kevin Zebrowski defeated challengers James Smith and George Rotenburg Sr. for three-year terms.

Flashy On Top, But Fashionable Below Notice Police Cars? More And More, The Good Guys Drive White.

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150917091102/http://articles.philly.com/1994-09-18/news/25836466_1_police-cars-white-cars-squad-cars

By Sonya Senkowsky, INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT

Posted: September 18, 1994

It may be easy enough to tell a cruller from a cream puff, but it's not so easy anymore to tell the difference between police cars.

That's what Pennsauken Police Sgt. Robert Hermansky tells indignant callers who think they've seen a cliche on wheels.

"If someone sees one department's car sitting outside a doughnut place, and a few hours later they look again and there's another car there, they won't know the difference. Somebody's going to call up and say, 'Did you know your guys have been eating doughnuts for four hours?' " Hermansky said.

Don't blame a hungry police officer, said Hermansky. Blame it on the cars, which today more than ever are likely to look alike.

In and around Pennsauken, all the police cars are white. Camden and Maple Shade have white cars. So do Riverton and Palmyra. Only colored striping and city or township decals distinguish one fleet from another.

"Almost everybody right now is running with Chevy Caprice, and most are basically white," Hermansky said.

Even a real cream puff - the state police's Drug Abuse Resistance Education car, which is a confiscated Chevy Corvette that is driven to grade schools for drug-education programs - is basic white with a few identifying decals.

"It's cheaper to get them all white than to have them painted," pointed out Hermansky, who said the cost of painting cars to look like the old two- tone black-and-whites could add up.

The story is the same around the country, said Scott Kingwell, publisher of Law & Order magazine, which has held a police car design contest for the last four years. The reason many departments choose white cars has a lot to do with budget, he said.

Pemberton Township's new, mainly white design helped cut expenses, Police Lt. Hector Gonzalez said. Though officers miss their old green and gold cars, which echoed the township's high school colors, he said, decorating with decals is cheaper.

"Now I believe white police cars are like red firetrucks," Gonzalez said.

The old paint job would now cost as much as $500 per car, he said. The present design, which includes a township decal on the door and stripes in three shades of blue, costs less than $150 per car.

"It's important we look at things other than spending money on looking pretty," Gonzalez said.

Kingwell said the Law & Order contest, which requires entrants to use highly reflective decals and distinctive markings, had helped reform what was once a "ragtag bunch" of cars.

The competition, which promotes originality as well as safety, even gave its top honor this year to an entrant wearing white: Philadelphia's recently redesigned squad cars, which are accented with blue and yellow reflective stripes.

This year's contest also attracted 10 New Jersey entrants, including Camden, Atlantic City, New Jersey Transit and Willingboro, Kingwell said.

Atlantic City Police Sgt. Ernest Jubilee said his department's design - a white patrol car with red, white and blue reflective decals - was hardly low- budget. Its entry, he said, promotes safety.

"We did that at a considerable expense," Jubilee said. The department bought a highly reflective tape that went on the market two years ago, and has seen a drastic reduction in accidents as a result, he said.

According to Detective Joe Bell, fleet manager, the department has not had a night intersection accident in two years. "Before that, we were averaging three or four a year with major damage," he said.

The trend in police-car designs has changed the way business is conducted at the Salmon Signs in Pitman, which Dick Salmon and his father established in 1961.

Today, departments find most of their variety in the custom-made vinyl decals that decorate their cars, like those Salmon designs and produces.

For 10 years, Salmon, 58, has used a computer to help cut the designs from vinyl. And today he uses a computer program to help officers and municipal officials visualize designs before they're on the car.

It's not the way his grandfather, who also painted signs, once did it.

"Sign painting involves a lot of reflection. You get to know the personalities of the brushes," said Salmon. But today he rarely picks up a brush anymore, he said.

That's fine with Salmon, because the computer also lets people preview the designs he produces, such as the new Gloucester County Police Academy's large gold decal and the Deptford Township Police Department's yellow, blue and black design of a hot-air balloon.

For the most part, Salmon said, the day of the black-and-white police car has passed. But there are exceptions, including Logan Township, where new Chief Bill Angelini recently had its four squad cars repainted to look like the black-and-whites so common in the 1950s.

Vive la difference, said Delran Police Chief Art Saul, who is proud of his township's all-black cars. "The black cars are kind of a trademark for us," said Saul, who designed the cars, black Ford Crown Victorias with yellow and white markings.

State police say they like the attention their sports car brings. The department uses the confiscated Corvette to teach grade schoolers a lesson about drug dealers: "Ultimately they will be caught and they will go to jail. Everything they own will go to the state," said John Hagerty, communications director of the state police.

Children are intrigued by the car, said Sgt. Ronald Small, unit supervisor. ''First of all, they want to know is it for real, because they're not used to seeing state police markings on a car like that," he said.

Rutgers University psychology professor Jack Aiello said, "If it makes the police force feel better about the fact their leaders are doing something they prefer be done, it's a positive thing."

So, when in Delran, watch for Chief Saul's "aggressive traffic force" of black cars.

But in most parts of the country, you might want to take it as a hint. If your next look at the rearview mirror reveals a white, American-made sedan: Slow down.

Delran Moves To Buy Site For New Town Hall The Building, On Chester Avenue, Also Would House Police. A Tentative Agreement Has Been Signed.

Source: http://articles.philly.com/1994-12-25/news/25853756_1_municipal-building-tentative-agreement-new-site

By Jan Hefler, INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT

Posted: December 25, 1994

DELRAN — After more than five years of discussions, the Township Council has signed a tentative agreement to buy the former computer operations building of MacMillan Publishing Co. Inc. to turn it into a new municipal building.

The one-story brick building, on Chester Avenue, will be purchased for $900,000 if certain contingencies are satisfied, said Jeffrey Hatcher, township administrator. Renovations could boost the final cost to $2.5 million, he estimated.

The township's architect, Duca & Huder Professional Associates of Moorestown, has two months to determine whether the building will meet the town's growing needs and how much renovations will cost, Hatcher said. After that, the township has two more months to float a bond and secure financing before the deal can be completed.

"The soonest we would be able to move would be about a year," Hatcher said. He said the existing, 5,000-square-foot municipal building, about 300 feet from the proposed new site, is overcrowded and outdated. It houses about 65 full-time and 35 part-time workers, he said.

The local emergency squad and fire commissioners, which lease two other buildings, also plan to move to the new site to save the township rental expenses.

The purchase would include the 52,000-square-foot building and 9.5 acres of land, across from the Chester Avenue Middle School. The agreement was reached with the MacMillan Holding Co., a New York firm that had acquired the property in bankruptcy proceedings, Hatcher said. The building has been vacant about two years.

"The majority of people are for this," Council President Eileen McGonigle said. She said the 27-year-old municipal building is not accessible to handicapped people and had been cited for fire code violations.

A study that the council commissioned in 1991 found that the building has poor police facilities, insufficient parking, poor ventilation and lighting, and a lack of handicapped access, among other problems.

"Our Police Department has no holding cells, and they have to handcuff people to a pipe downstairs. It's very unsafe," McGonigle said. "The roof in the building leaks, and we've just outgrown it."

In the last three years, council has considered buying two other sites - the former Dee's Appliance Store, next to the municipal building, and the Whitesell Enterprises building on Underwood Boulevard. The council decided that renovating and expanding the existing municipal building would be too costly, McGonigle said.

Two years ago, some council members were ready to look for new quarters, but lacked the four votes needed to adopt a bond ordinance to finance the purchase. At the time, there was a vacancy on the five-member council, and Councilman Anthony Ogozalek opposed the move, saying he didn't want to overtax residents.

Since then, new members have been elected, and McGonigle believes there is enough support to proceed this time. In fact, the council two weeks ago voted unanimously for the sale agreement.

A Firefighter Of 17 Years, She Has A New Title: Chief Dorothea Bennett Is Now Delran's Top Fire Official. It's A Post Rarely Held By A Woman In New Jersey.

Source: http://articles.philly.com/1995-01-03/news/25715514_1_first-female-fire-firefighter-second-lieutenant

By Christine Lutton, INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT

Posted: January 03, 1995

DELRAN — When Dorothea Bennett first started driving firetrucks as the only female member of the Delran Fire Department, several male colleagues refused to ride with her.

You know how women drivers are, they reasoned.

Yesterday, Bennett, 49, had the last laugh when she took the oath of office to become the first female fire chief in Burlington County and only the second ever in New Jersey.

Clad exactly like her male colleagues in a double-breasted navy uniform blazer, white shirt and tie, Bennett mingled with friends before the swearing- in ceremony in Delran's sparkling-clean Station 231.

And in the shadow of the red behemoths over which some men once shunned her, Bennett reflected on her accomplishment.

Even after 17 years, Bennett, who speaks in no-nonsense, clipped sentences, could tick off the fires and accidents she remembered most.

Many involved children. A Christmas morning blaze one year claimed the lives of a mother and child. Another child died after being struck by a car while riding a bicycle. A man burned inside his car after it struck a guardrail on the old Bridgeboro Road Bridge at Route 130.

In the aftermath of many of those tragedies, Bennett remembered, victims' families and fellow firefighters turned to her for comfort.

"They have a tendency to relate to me," she said. "They can let it go easier to a female than to a male."

But Bennett's contributions as unofficial station psychologist are matched by those as a firefighter, colleagues said. She exercises regularly and can carry ladders and lift heavy fire hoses as well as the men.

Politically, she rose steadily through the department ranks, becoming second lieutenant in the early 1980s. She served as deputy chief - the head of her station - for the last four years. She also is president of the Burlington County Fire Fighters Association.

Only one department in the state, Lower Alloways Creek in Salem County, has ever before had a woman serve as chief.

Firefighting is a family affair for Bennett, whose day job is managing an oral surgeon's office. Her husband, Joseph, is a longtime member of the department and former chief. Her son, Joseph Jr., was sworn in yesterday as a second lieutenant.

And Bennett's daughter, Theresa McSweeney, 28, said her mother's success has encouraged her and the three other women among the 60 active firefighters in the Delran department.

"It's thanks to her that we are where we are," she said.

Delran Mayor Thomas A. DiLauro said he would encourage fire companies that continue to exclude women to rethink their position.

"Wake up," he said. "Maybe you can have a future Dottie Bennett sitting out there who could do your township proud."

Delran Gets Estimate On New Complex

Source: http://articles.philly.com/1995-01-05/news/25712874_1_municipal-building-asbestos-removal-new-township

By Jan Hefler, INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT

Posted: January 05, 1995

DELRAN — Renovations on a newly acquired building that is to be converted into a municipal complex could cost between $1.5 million and $2.2 million, council learned last night.

Nicholas A. Duca, a Moorestown architect, presented drawings of the work that would need to be done at the former MacMillan Publishing Co.'s computer operations center on Chester Avenue. He said the estimated pricetag included furnishings, carpeting and other expenses.

Also included in the project are roof repairs, asbestos removal and the installation of jail cells, Duca added.

Duca estimated the whole project would take about 18 months to complete. The new municipal complex is to include administrative offices, a police station, emergency medical services and, eventually, the public works and fire departments.

The new township complex will sit on 9.5 acres near the current municipal building and across from the Chester Avenue School.

Council signed an agreement last month to purchase the 52,000-square-foot one-story building for $900,000. Officials said the existing 5,000-square-foot municipal building, which houses about 100 employees, was overcrowded and outdated.

Councilman Jerry Savidge, who was involved in the purchase negotiations, said a special meeting would be held Wednesday to introduce a bond ordinance to finance both the acquisition and the renovations. At that meeting, council expects to have a clearer idea of how much the project will cost.

Delran Board Backs Bond, 3-1

Source: http://articles.philly.com/1995-01-12/news/25715405_1_bond-ordinance-municipal-building-renovation

By Jan Hefler, INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT

Posted: January 12, 1995

DELRAN — By a 3-1 vote, the Township Council last night introduced a $2.8 million bond ordinance to finance the purchase and renovation of a building that would be used as a municipal complex.

Last month, the council signed an agreement to buy the former MacMillan Publishing Co.'s computer operation center on Chester Avenue for $900,000.

Renovations on the 52,000-square-foot, one-story structure are estimated at $1.9 million.

Councilman Jim Wujcik said the proposed complex, which sits on 10 acres, would meet the township's needs for at least the next 30 years. It would include administration offices as well as a police station, ambulance and fire services, and public works.

Councilman Anthony Ogozalek voted against the bond ordinance, saying the project was too expensive "at a time when everybody is trying to save money."

Ogozalek said he favored trimming the project cost to $1.5 million by renegotiating the sale price, by eliminating items that he said where not necessary, and by finding a more inexpensive way to finance it.

Councilman Jerry Savidge said a tax increase probably would be needed to help pay for the project. He said it would have cost $2.5 million to renovate the existing overcrowded 5,000-square-foot municipal building and to provide space for other township needs, which are now housed in various rental properties.

A public hearing and final vote on the bond ordinance are scheduled for Jan. 25. For the measure to pass, four of the five council members must vote for it.

Council President Eileen McGonigle, who was absent last night, said when contacted at home by phone that she planned to vote for it, ensuring passage.

Delran And Riverside Ponder A Merger The Two Municipalities Are Looking Into Sharing A Public-works Department.

Source: http://articles.philly.com/1995-07-23/news/25679385_1_public-works-facility-regionalization-plan-merger

By Jan Hefler, INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT

Posted: July 23, 1995

Delran and Riverside officials are taking another stab at regionalizing, this time with a proposed merger of their public-works departments.

Last year the two municipalities failed in an attempt to combine their police forces because their salary scales were too different. But officials from both communities say the prospects of sharing a public-works department are brighter for a number of reasons.

At a joint meeting last week in Riverside, representatives of the two governing bodies, both mayors and both township administrators discussed how the task might be accomplished.

"If we can give the same amount of service for less money by combining our public-works departments, then we should do it," said Riverside Mayor Robert Renshaw. Because Riverside's three and Delran's 15 public-works employees all have contracts that expire Dec. 31, the groundwork has already been laid, he said.

It's an ideal time," Renshaw said. "It's very workable. It sounds great."

Delran Township Administrator Jeffrey Hatcher said the salary scales of both departments were also similar. The main obstacle to the proposed police merger was that Delran's police salaries were higher than Riverside's, and Riverside could not afford to raise wages, he said.

Delran Mayor Thomas DiLauro also believes the new proposal is more feasible than the police regionalization plan. "We must take into consideration any possibility of saving taxpayers any money. At this point, this looks like a do-able project," he said.

But Hatcher and Riverside Township Administrator Gary LaVenia also cautioned that the discussions are preliminary and that nothing has been decided.

Delran Councilman Anthony Ogozalek also raised the issue of who would be in charge of the public-works department and whether any employees would be laid off.

Renshaw said control was not a real issue if the two towns could come up with a plan for sharing equipment and personnel, and could cut costs in the process. "This is the best shot we have at combining services," he said.

Officials from both towns do not anticipate layoffs from a merger. LaVenia said his township laid off one public-works truck driver in May and didn't replace two other laborers when they retired earlier this year. He said the department was scaled back and the township hired a private contractor last month to clean the streets.

Under a regionalization plan, Delran could use Riverside's two-year-old street sweeper, which is currently sitting in the public-works garage, LaVenia said. Delran officials also submitted a list of about 30 pieces of the municipality's public-works equipment, some of which could be shared with Riverside.

Officials still need to deal with the issue of building a public-works facility in each town. LaVenia said Riverside has set aside $110,000 in bond money to build a new public-works garage. But if the departments were combined, this expenditure might be unnecessary. "We're debating whether to build or not," he said.

Meanwhile, Delran is planning to settle this week on a new $850,000 municipal complex that eventually would include a new public-works facility. Nearly $2 million in bonds has been set aside to buy and renovate the complex.

The administrators of both townships will meet and share details of their public-works operations before another joint meeting is scheduled. No date has yet been set.

Delran Reaches Agreement On New Municipal Hall The Township Is Set To Buy The Former Macmillan Building For $850,000. Current Quarters Are Cramped.

Source: http://articles.philly.com/1995-07-29/news/25678133_1_municipal-building-town-hall-fire-commissioners

By Natalie Pompilio, INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT

Posted: July 29, 1995

The seven employees of Delran's Finance Department jam into a room packed with desks, filing cabinets and computer equipment.

The air conditioning makes little difference on this hot, humid July day. ''Excuse me" is heard often as the workers attempt to maneuver around the furniture, jumbles of wires, and each other.

"Some days, it's chaos," one employee said over her shoulder as she squeezed between two people to get out the door.

No wonder these workers are so happy about the new municipal building.

The Township Council formally announced Wednesday that it had reached a settlement to purchase a new municipal building for $850,000. The former MacMillan building, expected to open in September 1996 as the new town hall, is right down the street from the current town hall on Chester Avenue.

When its renovations are completed, the new building will offer ''amenities" such as air conditioning that works and a roof that doesn't leak. The future municipal complex will cost approximately $2.8 million, the money coming from a May bond issue, Township Administrator Jeffrey Hatcher said. It will house the Public Works Department, the Police Department, the fire commissioners, and the emergency squad, as well as the government offices.

Public works will move out of a small garage behind the current municipal building and possibly have space to store its equipment indoors.

The police will get roomier quarters, larger holding cells, and an escape from the dark, poorly ventilated basement of the municipal building.

And for the fire commissioners and the emergency squad, the new town hall means an end to paying rent in private buildings. The Fire Department pays its own rent, about $18,000 a year, but the township picks up the emergency squad's rental costs, between $30,000 and $35,000 a year, Hatcher said.

He jokingly said the township had needed a new building since "the day after this one was built" in 1967. The township had been negotiating with the new building's sellers since January, and looking for a new home ever since Hatcher started in Delran more than six years ago.

The added possibility of renting some space to other groups and the competitive price paid for the building has Township Council members crowing.

"Look at the numbers and what we got for our money, and we really got a steal," said Councilman Brian McDermott at Wednesday's meeting. "Delran stole this building."

Fergie Frenzy Finds Its Way To N.j. Her New Book Is Under Tight Security. One Woman Sought A Preview.

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20151018195004/http://articles.philly.com/1996-10-25/news/25666212_1_fergie-book-warehouse-security-guard

By Karen Auerbach, INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT

Posted: October 25, 1996

DELRAN — You never know what some people will do to get the scoop on Fergie.

Somebody with a British accent - A snoop for one of England's tabloids? An impatient fan of the royal family? - apparently can barely wait to read what the former Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has written in her autobiography about all the lurid stuff that others already have said about her.

Workers at Simon & Schuster's book warehouse in Delran, where hundreds of thousands of copies of her book, My Story, are stored, said yesterday that a woman with the British accent slipped past a security guard near a building entrance around noon Wednesday and approached a caged section where the volumes were being protected by another guard. The woman then left without a trace. Local police were informed, though no formal complaint was filed, said Delran Police Chief Art Saul.

An assortment of books related to the O.J. Simpson case did not prompt such tight security, said workers at the warehouse. The Fergie book is embargoed, which means no one will see it before the 350,000 copies - workers said the Delran warehouse has about that many - go on sale in bookstores Nov. 13. Even reviewers have not received copies, a publicist for the publishers said. Warehouse workers said company officials are watching their every move, lest they be tempted by rumored offers to swipe a copy for profit. Simon & Schuster officials yesterday refused to even acknowledge that the books have been delivered to Delran.

What could prompt such extraordinary security? The duchess' toe-sucking escapades, the topless photos, her estranged relationship and eventual divorce from Prince Andrew - all have been chronicled.

The big difference this time is that she's telling the story herself.

``There is a veil of mystery around all things you can't get your hands on,'' said Holly Zappala, senior publicist for the New York-based Simon & Schuster. ``Of course, it's hotly anticipated, because it's the Duchess of York.''

State Senate Panel To Contend With Barrage Of Gun Measures The Law And Public Safety Committee Will Consider At Least 7 Measures. Among Them: Tighter Controls.

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20151017132908/http://articles.philly.com/1999-05-19/news/25516618_1_childproof-guns-gun-related-measures-locks

By Tom Avril, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Posted: May 19, 1999

TRENTON — Cash rebates for handgun trigger locks. Sales-tax exemptions on firearm storage vaults. Guns equipped with so-called childproofing devices.

Those are just three of at least seven gun-related measures to be considered by a New Jersey Senate committee tomorrow.

The reason? It's obvious, said Jim Pricolo, a retired Baltimore police officer who sells guns at Walt's Reloading in Delran.

``It's politically advantageous to bring it up now because of the Columbine High thing,'' Pricolo said yesterday.

Most of the measures were introduced before the events in Colorado, and Gov. Whitman mentioned childproof guns in her State of the State address in January. But like their counterparts in the U.S. Senate, which last week considered requiring background checks on those who buy guns at gun shows, New Jersey legislators appear to have been spurred to act by the April 20 shootings that left 15 dead in Littleton.

Still unclear is which measures will emerge tomorrow from the state Senate's Law and Public Safety Committee, chaired by Sen. Louis F. Kosco (R., Bergen).

The rebate and tax-exemption bills are not controversial. The proposed childproofing of handguns also has drawn wide support, but it has sparked the ire of the National Rifle Association. Yet a group of gun-control advocates says it has the necessary support on the committee for a childproofing measure that would be the first of its kind.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Joseph A. Palaia (R., Monmouth) and Senate Minority Leader Richard J. Codey (D., Essex), would immediately require that all handguns sold in the state be equipped with trigger locks. After three years, all guns would have to be sold with a childproofing device, such as a fingerprint activation system or a computer chip that would allow the gun to be used only by its owner.

Some advocates of gun ownership contend that the technology is not ready or is dangerous. Kosco has endorsed a far less restrictive measure that would require only that guns be equipped with trigger locks or a childproofing device.

Bryan Miller, executive director of Ceasefire New Jersey, said that measure does not go far enough. A trigger lock works only if people remember to use it, he said.

Republican leaders are negotiating a compromise that would turn the matter over to the Attorney General's Office, according to people familiar with the discussions.

At first, handgun purchasers would have to buy trigger locks. After two years or another set period, the attorney general would have the power to mandate the use of fingerprint systems or other childproofing devices when those technologies are ready.

Sen. James S. Cafiero (R., Cape May), one of three Republicans on the five-member committee, said he would support such a measure, and the committee's two Democrats are expected to go along.

Marking 100 Years Of Worship At Chatsworth `Country Church'

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20151018095543/http://articles.philly.com/1999-06-25/news/25498381_1_presbyterian-church-first-church-country-church

By Louise Harbach, INQUIRER SUBURBAN STAFF

Posted: June 25, 1999

CHATSWORTH — What the Rev. Ray Carter likes best about Chatsworth United Methodist Church is how timeless the interior of the building feels.

``This is a little country church that looks as though it hasn't changed,'' said Mr. Carter, 75, of the church he led for 23 years. ``It's like turning the years back every time I step inside.''

This month, the church, considered by some Chatsworth residents to be the capital of the Pine Barrens, is celebrating its 100th anniversary. While it may not be the oldest house of worship in the Pinelands, it remains a country church with an old-time feel, Mr. Carter said.

The minister has continued to attend services since his retirement in 1990 and is now on the administrative board of the church, which has about 25 active members.

``It was never difficult being a minister here,'' Mr. Carter said. ``Whatever we lacked in size, we made up for in the loving and friendly group of people we had here in Chatsworth.''

The first church on the site was a Presbyterian church built in 1875. After that church was struck by lightning and destroyed in a fire in 1893, the congregation built a church measuring just 28 feet by 42 feet on the original foundation.

A few years later, Methodists started meeting at the church and took over the building as the number of Presbyterians dwindled. On June 3, 1899, the church was incorporated as a Methodist church, said the Rev. Steven Elliott, the current pastor.

``What we're celebrating this year is 100 years of Methodism in Chatsworth,'' Mr. Elliott said.

Throughout its history, the church has been an integral part of Chatsworth, said Julia Mantell, 84, one of its oldest members.

``There was a potbellied stove in the middle of the sanctuary and kerosene lights,'' said Mantell, a lifelong Chatsworth resident. ``The church was the place for everyone in the community to congregate, and at Christmas we always had a party for the community.''

The church is part of what is called the Tabernacle-Chatsworth circuit, with Mr. Elliott, like Mr. Carter did before retiring, dividing his duties between Tabernacle United Methodist Church and the Chatsworth church.

In addition to Mr. Carter and Mantell, other longtime members include Albertus Pepper and William Sloan, both for 70 years; Virginia Ranalli, 68 years; Rita Stewart, Russell Dunfee and Betty Carter, all 59 years; Selena Dunfee, 47 years; and Constance and Norman Wills, Gertrude Applegate and Charles Leek, all 45 years.

``This is my first pastoral appointment, and it's been an exciting year. Through our centennial celebration, we've been able to reach out to the community,'' said Mr. Elliott, 31, a former lawyer from Millville who has been the minister for both churches since July.

The Chatsworth church's interior was remodeled in 1955 when members, doing the work themselves, replaced two aisles with a center aisle, built pews from Philippine mahogany, and installed knotty-pine paneling, two pulpits and an altar rail.

In 1983, 18 stained-glass windows featuring animals or flowers that are native to the Pinelands were installed, much to the delight of Mantell.

``When I was a little girl, I would say, `If only we had colored windows,' '' she said. ``I thought I'd never live to see the stained-glass windows here in the church.''

Shortly after the windows were installed, Betty Carter, the church's organist and the wife of Mr. Carter, saw there was a need for a new organ.

``Unfortunately, there was no money in the budget for a new organ, but by the grace of God and Bennett Bozarth, we got a new organ,'' said Carter, 73. ``Since then, Mr. Bozarth has donated dozens of organs to churches, but we were the first church to receive one.''

Bozarth, a Delran lawyer and former municipal judge for Woodland Township, where Chatsworth is located, said he had decided to give the church his own organ after worshiping there.

``I enjoy worshiping at different churches, and since I've played the organ since I was about 10, I tend to notice the quality of organs wherever I go. Theirs wasn't in good shape,'' he said. ``My father had given me an organ, and after his death I thought giving the organ to the church would be an appropriate way to honor him.''

Since then, Bozarth has donated 109 other organs to churches throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

``When I was growing up, I frequently heard my father say to my mother, `I'm going to Chatsworth,' whenever he wanted to be by himself, Bozarth said. ``With this gift, now the spirit of my father really is in Chatsworth.''

Top officer ready to call it quits "I've accomplished all my goals," Delran chief says.

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150921014958/http://articles.philly.com/2003-05-18/news/25458790_1_saul-law-enforcement-rapes-and-beatings

By Rosalee Polk Rhodes INQUIRER SUBURBAN STAFF

Posted: May 18, 2003

Delran Police Chief Arthur Saul is California dreaming.

After 34 years on the police force, he has started to plan for a life after law enforcement. That includes a leisurely trip to California to visit an old Army buddy.

What will be different about the trip, Saul said, is that after he retires May 31, there will be no time constraints. He and Gloria, his wife of 36 years, will not have to be home at any particular time.

"I don't have to be back any more," said a smiling Saul, who remembers hurried vacations that limited the time he could spend with friends or just relaxing.

"I could stay out in California and be a surfer dude," he chuckled.

Having time on his hands has been a long time coming for Saul, 56, who has spent most of his adult life in law enforcement.

In the Army, he served with the 716th Military Police Battalion and spent a tour of duty in Vietnam in 1966-67.

Saul joined the Delran department in 1969 and was promoted to detective in 1972. He was named chief in 1990.

It has been a career of twists, turns and intrigue. As a detective, Saul, working with state and federal officials, was instrumental in bringing down the "pizza connection," an organized-crime operation that stretched from the United States to Italy.

Saul said that several members of the Gambino crime family lived in the township and that it was a tough, but interesting, case to work.

"There were 180 homicides between the United States and Italy. It involved members in New York, Philadelphia families. It was very interesting. I made a lot of friends in law enforcement."

Saul said he did not fear for his life because there was a "code of respect" for law enforcement in those days.

"There was a little bit more respect for police. Today, there are no rules anymore," he said.

Saul also recalled the 1977 rapes and beatings of a woman and her 12-year-old daughter and the burglary of their apartment at Millside Manor, now Hunters Glen, a 1,200-unit complex on Route 130.

A television set stolen from the residence cracked the case, Saul said.

After five years of detective work and with the help of an informant and other law enforcement officials, two suspects were arrested in Philadelphia.

To this day, Saul, who remembers the case vividly, marvels at one thing: The pair held on to the television for so many years. The TV was traced to the crime.

"Jail is not full of the smartest people in the world," he said, almost as an afterthought.

Saul, who could tell endless stories about police work in the seven-square-mile community, said he has tried to put many of the bad memories aside.

"They're like water under the bridge. There were tough times," he said.

Jeff Hatcher, township administrator, said that Saul had been the type of leader who makes decisions and takes full responsibility for them, and that the welfare of the police department was his main concern.

"He never asked for anything for himself, but for the men and the department," said Hatcher, who has worked with the chief for 15 years. "He's from the old school. There is a sense of honor. The department came first."

Saul said the decision to hang up his hat is coming at a time when he is still healthy and can still pursue other interests.

"I've accomplished all of my goals. It's time for me to go," he said.

He has been innovative to the end, instituting a school-resource-officer program and establishing an emergency-service unit that can handle chemical and biological warfare.

"There is no one around that has the capability that we have," he said of the emergency-service unit. "That was my last goal. We're equipped to handle everything."

As for the future, with his law enforcement background and a degree in law and justice from Glassboro State, now Rowan University, Saul said he could teach. Or, he can just restore old cars, his hobby.

"If something comes up that interests me, I'll consider it," he said. "I've done enough police work."

But for at least the next six months, he will be perfectly content to do nothing.

Contact staff writer Rosalee Polk Rhodes at 856-779-3237 or rrhodes@phillynews.com.

Allen foe says their ideas are far apart Carole Lokan Moore, running to unseat the senator, says Republicans are meant to be conservative - and she is.

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150920081226/http://articles.philly.com/2003-05-19/news/25460155_1_allen-foe-allen-support-towns

By Joel Bewley INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Posted: May 19, 2003

This is the first of two articles looking at the candidates in the Republican primary for the Seventh District state Senate seat.

Carole Lokan Moore and State Sen. Diane Allen both live in the small riverfront town of Edgewater Park, but they are worlds apart when it comes to political ideology, says Moore, who is challenging Allen in next month's Seventh District primary.

"Republicans are supposed to be conservative," said Moore, a retired biology teacher and a firearms instructor who operates a bed-and-breakfast. "I am, and she's not."

Allen, 55, has made a name as the legislature's most prolific bill writer.

Moore, 57, believes that government is too meddlesome, making needless laws, and that more effort should be put into enforcing the criminal code instead of plea-bargaining.

"I know we have more people per capita than any other state, and we have to have a lot of laws, but there are too many of them," Moore said. "I vow not to write any more laws until the ones we have are upheld."

Allen has said that her job is to represent constituents, and that proposing bills to fix problems and improve lives is part of it. She won reelection in 2001 by touting herself as one of the busiest legislators in Trenton.

Moore said most New Jersey legislators were not concerned about constituents. Instead, she said, they become obsessed with staying in office and lose their sense of purpose.

"Politicians say what gets them reelected," she said. "It doesn't matter how they really feel. People know that I mean what I say."

Her opponent is also outspoken, especially in support of issues such as abortion rights and gun control. Those stands have won Allen support in the Seventh District, where Democrats hold both Assembly seats. Diane Gabriel of Cinnaminson is running unopposed for the Democratic Senate nomination.

The district covers Burlington County's river towns and the Camden County towns of Merchantville and Pennsauken, a Democratic stronghold.

Moore said her lack of political experience allowed her to present herself as someone untainted by the political process.

She has stayed busy since retiring from the Willingboro school system 11 years ago, helping to found groups such as the New Jersey Landlord Association, the South Jersey Bed and Breakfast Association, the Home for Wayward Animals, the Riverfront Historical Society, and the committee that organizes Civil War Remembrance Day at Beverly National Cemetery.

She grew up in Willingboro on her family's farm, attending township schools before heading to Burlington County College and then Glassboro State College, now Rowan University.

Her twin daughters, 31, are teachers in Willingboro.

Years ago Moore and her husband, William, also a retired teacher, began buying properties to restore during summer breaks.

They live at the Whitebriar Bed & Breakfast and own two other long-term-lodging houses nearby, along with seven other properties in area towns.

"All my life I have worked. I have never sat idle, and I don't now," Moore said. "I clean toilets, I scrub floors, I make beds, and I love it."

She also teaches people how to shoot rifles, shotguns and pistols at a Delran range. She does not hunt, but her husband does. This year, for the first time, she took a deer he killed and butchered it - on the dining room table.

"It took about eight hours. My daughter said I was nuts," she said. "It was very exciting for me, having been a biology teacher. I made venison chili. I've always been hands-on."

Moore said that, if elected, she would serve without a salary as long as the state had trouble balancing its budget. The state could further save money by cutting welfare benefits, she said.

Acquiring and managing properties has prepared her to be a legislator, Moore said.

"I know what it is like to scrape and save. I know the value of a buck," she said. "The people in Trenton do not."

She becomes angry when talking about state budget increases in recent years, from $16.8 billion in 1997 - the year Allen was elected to the Senate - to the current $23.4 billion.

Taxes are still the most important issue to voters, Moore said. "People are moving out of the state because they can't afford to live here," she said.

In a letter sent to Moore asking her to abandon the primary challenge, county GOP chairman Glenn Paulsen said Allen had a solid record on taxes, voting for reductions more than 30 times.

This is Moore's second primary challenge. In 2000, she ran for the Assembly against the party's endorsed ticket as a member of gubernatorial candidate Bret Schundler's slate.

Most area Republicans do not view Moore as a party regular, said Chris Russell, executive director of the Burlington County Republican Committee.

"We need to conserve our resources to run against the Democrats. Sure, there are different kinds of Republicans, but most of them try to solve their differences instead of take each other out," he said.

Burlington County has more than 423,000 registered voters. About 135,000 of them are unaffiliated, and the rest split between Republicans and Democrats.

Contact staff writer Joel Bewley at 609-261-0900 or jbewley@phillynews.com.

Bennett E. Bozarth, 61, former judge in Burlington County

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20151222010844/http://articles.philly.com/2008-05-31/news/25261625_1_superior-court-judgeship-practice-law-law-degree

By Jan Hefler INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Posted: May 31, 2008

Bennett E. "Bud" Bozarth, 61, a controversial former judge who sat on the bench for 17 years in more than nine Burlington County municipalities, died at his Delran home on Tuesday.

He was in remission from a long battle with leukemia and had multiple health problems, according to his family. Judge Bozarth also had a heart condition, which he cited as his reason for retiring from his court appointments in 1998.

He had a reputation as an uncompromising judge whose orders once led to a woman's being handcuffed to a bench for more than two hours for arriving late to court. The state Supreme Court publicly reprimanded him in 1992, saying he harbored an obsession with decorum and demonstrated a "draconian" adherence to rules.

His courtroom behavior was also blamed as the reason he was passed over for elevation to a Superior Court judgeship in 1988.

But he was well respected in legal circles for his sharp mind, his astute knowledge of the law and his ability to discern facts.

"We all knew him to be exceedingly brilliant," said attorney Mark Molz, who frequently tangled with him. "He was a fixture in Burlington County and a lot of us learned how to practice law from him."

Judge Bozarth also was a former prosecutor, public defender, a trial attorney and a solicitor for various towns. Former Pemberton Mayor Thalia "T.C." Kay, who hired him in the early 1990s to be the town's judge, said that after his retirement, he also handled police arbitration hearings. "He was multitalented," she said.

In a 1998 interview with The Inquirer, Judge Bozarth said he regretted some of his more controversial decisions, but still felt it had been important to maintain order in the court.

"There's considerable disruption that ensues from a failure to maintain order. People can't hear what's going on," he said.

Judge Bozarth had a hobby of finding organs for churches that were unable to afford them, and donated more than 200. He also founded the Rainbow Gospel Ensemble and would often perform at services.

"He was very spiritual," said lawyer Bill Menges, a longtime friend. "And he was very witty. I'm going to miss Buddy."

In his later years, Judge Bozarth played keyboard and sang with a rock-and-roll band called Rubber Johnny at bars in Riverside and Hainesport. He often regaled friends with colorful stories and wisecracks.

As a child, he attended Valley Forge Military Academy. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University and received his law degree in 1972 from Columbia University. He served as a captain in the Army Reserve.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara; son Earl; daughters Josette Coyle and Sara; and a granddaughter.

Visitation will begin at 9 a.m. today at Christ Baptist Church, 950 Jacksonville Rd., Burlington, with a service at 10. Interment will follow at Odd Fellows Cemetery.

Contributions may be made to the Cancer Institute of New Jersey Foundation, 120 Albany St., New Brunswick, N.J. 08901.

Contact staff writer Jan Hefler at 856-779-3224 or jhefler@phillynews.com.

Delran Fire Department featured on Hot Wheels car

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20110225/NEWS/302259707

By Todd McHale

Posted: Feb 25, 2011

DELRAN -- The call from California came into the Delran Fire District last year.

It was a representative from Mattel, the world's largest toy company.

"I didn't know what to think. It's not like I get many calls from California here," said Angela Bauer, board clerk for the fire district.

The caller indicated that the fire department had been selected to be featured on one of the toy company Hot Wheels cars.

Turns out that an employee of Mattel is from Delran and had nominated the fire department to be a part of a new line of toy cars called "Hot Wheels Americana."

And the company agreed that Delran Fire Department would make a good addition to the line.

Delran was among the several towns and cities across the country selected to have its logo emblazoned on the side of a Hot Wheels car.

After months of working out the details and submitting its logo to Mattel, Delran Fire Department had a Hot Wheel's car.

The company dubbed the toy Dodge Charger the "Dixie Challenger," and plastered flames on the top and side of it along with the Delran Fire Department's name, logo and dispatch number.

"It love it," Bauer said. "I think it looks cool."

"I never thought we would have our own Hot Wheels car," she continued. It's going to put Delran Fire Department on the map."

Fire district member Arthur Saul said it's quite special thing to be picked to participate in the line.

"I think it's an honor," Saul said.

Mayor Ken Paris said the recognition couldn't have come to a more deserving fire department.

"I think it's fantastic," Paris said. "We do have an excellent fire department, and I think it's great recognition."

He said he's already got one of the toy cars from K-Mart. He added that there are also some available on eBay.

So what does the fire district get for its participation in the line?

"Recognition," Bauer said. "It's a great opportunity to get the Delran Fire Department's name out there. These cars are sold all over the country and overseas."

The fire district is also supposed to get 100 of the Dixie Challengers too, she said.

Todd McHale can be reached at 609-871-8163, tmchale@phillyBurbs.com

Follow Todd on Twitter at twitter.com/toddmchale

Bomb scare forces evacuation of Delran High School

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20110325/NEWS/303259664

Posted: Mar 25, 2011

DELRAN -- A bomb threat forced the evacuation of students and staff from Delran High School Friday morning, but a search of the Hartford Road school building turned up no explosives or suspicious devices, police said.

According to investigators, the threat was received at just after 9:30 a.m. and prompted the immediate evacuation of students to the high school football stadium. Students were later moved to a nearby Millbridge Elementary School on Conrow Road while police searched the school. They were permitted to return to the high school at 11:30 after the investigation revealed the building was safe, police said.

Police declined to specify whether the threat was received via phone, email or another means. They said an investigation into the incident was ongoing.

Parents were notified of the evacuation via an automated telephone calling system, police said.

Delran firefighters’ event aimed at promoting healthy lifestyle

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20110815/NEWS/308159800

By Todd McHale

Posted: Aug 15, 2011

DELRAN -- At a moment's notice, firefighters and emergency medical responders are ready to do whatever it takes to save a life.

But far too many times, those calls to duty end tragically for the rescuers.

Every year, dozens of firefighters and EMTs die from stress-related conditions while on duty.

"The added stress put on a firefighter's heart, from the moment the alarm rings until well after an incident, makes firefighters more susceptible to experiencing life-threatening health issues, particularly heart attacks," said Amy Briggs, a firefighter with Delran Fire Company No. 2.

In fact, heart attacks are the No. 1 cause of line-of-duty deaths for firefighters in the United States.

The U.S. Fire Administration recently released a report that indicated that 61 percent of firefighter line-of-duty deaths in 2010 were related to stress and overexertion. This year, 31 firefighters have already died from those medical conditions.

Knowing the facts, the members of Delran Fire Company No. 2 have decided to do something about it.

In conjunction with National Firefighter Health Week, which is sponsored by the National Volunteer Fire Council, the company is getting ready for its second annual Smokin' Hot 5K Run/Walk on Sept. 10.

The run/walk promotes a healthy lifestyle not only for the firefighters, but also for everyone in the community.

"It is especially important for our first responders to focus on their health and wellness, and do what they can to keep their hearts and bodies strong," Briggs said. "We don't want our hometown heroes to become a tragic statistic."

Briggs, chairwoman of the race committee, and other organizers will be out in the community this week trying to convince runners, walkers and supporters to take part in the event. All proceeds will benefit the fire company's health and wellness programs, officials said.

To register for the run/walk or to be a sponsor, contact Briggs at 609-516-7957 or amybriggs23@comcast.net. For more information, visit the Fire Department's website at www.delranfire.org/5k.

Todd McHale: 609-871-8163; email: tmchale@phillyBurbs.com;
Twitter: @toddmchale

Burglars strike at eight businesses in three towns

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20111102/NEWS/311029634

By David Levinsky

Posted: Nov 2, 2011

Police in Delran, Cinnaminson and Mount Laurel are investigating smash-and-grab burglaries at several nail salons and other businesses Saturday and Sunday.

The first incidents were discovered at 1:38 a.m. Saturday at Cambridge Cleaners and Edible Arrangements, both on Dearborn Circle in Mount Laurel. The front glass doors of both businesses were smashed and a total of about $200 was stolen from their registers.

A stolen car also was recovered outside the businesses, police said Tuesday.

Early the next morning, Cinnaminson police responded to the Pep Boys Plaza off Route 130 for a 2:44 a.m. burglary alarm activation at Lyly's Nails. The officers found the front glass door smashed and a cash register outside on the sidewalk.

The glass door at the adjacent Blue Ribbon Cleaners also was smashed, and a cash register inside that business was missing.

Both registers contained less than $100, police said.

Later that morning, Delran police discovered similar burglaries at Bagel Cafe, Kim's Nails and Hand and Stone Massage & Facial Spa, all on Fairview Boulevard, and at Prestige Nails at the Millside Plaza off Route 130.

The front glass doors on all three businesses were smashed. The proceeds stolen were undetermined.

An investigation into the burglaries was still ongoing Tuesday.

Anyone with information about any of the eight incidents is asked to call the Cinnaminson police at 856-829-6667 or their police tip line at 1-800-78-CRIME or www.Wetip.com, the Delran police at 856-461-4498 or their police tip line at 856-461-9010, or the Mount Laurel police at 856-234-1414.

David Levinsky: 609-871-8154; email: "mailto:dlevinsky@phillyBurbs.com">dlevinsky@phillyBurbs.com;
Twitter: @davidlevinsky

Delran police earn accreditation from NJ chiefs association

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20120105/NEWS/301059596

Posted: Jan 5, 2012

L to R, Delran police Capt. Dean W. Potts, Harry DelGado, (Accreditation Manager), Mitchell Sklar (Executive Director of the Acceditation Program), Delran police Chief Alfonso A. Parente Jr. and Delran police Lt. Howard Davenport. -Contributed Photograph

Members of the Delran Police Department accept a certificate last month for earning accreditation from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police: (from left) Capt. Dean W. Potts; Harry DelGado, accreditation manager for the association; Mitchell Sklar, the program's executive director; Chief Alfonso A. Parente Jr.; and Lt. Howard Davenport (far right). The status certifies that the department's functions, training, regulations and policies compare favorably with accepted best practices and standards.

Delran police Capt. Dean Potts hanging up his badge after long career

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20120122/NEWS/301229760

By David Levinsky

Posted: Jan 22, 2012

Delran's Police Captain Dean Potts retires. -Rose Shields/staff photographer

DELRAN -- Capt. Dean Potts has been married for more than 20 years, but you could say his first love was police work.

It's practically a part of his DNA.

His father was the police chief in his tiny hometown of Fieldsboro.

"He worked from home and had to drive his own car to calls," Potts recalled.

His eldest son is a county sheriff's officer, and his youngest is pursuing a career in law enforcement.

But Potts, who has been an officer for 31 years, including 28 in Delran, is hanging up his badge and uniform. He spent his last day on the job Friday and will retire Feb. 1.

"It's been a really good ride," Potts said Thursday. "This department has been fantastic, and the whole town has been wonderful."

He said he became interested in police work early in life because of his father. After serving in the Navy in Vietnam and Hawaii, he landed his first law enforcement job as a special officer in Dunellen, Middlesex County.

"That's where I got my first real experience in police work," Potts said. "Back then, there was no police academy (training) for specials, just on-the-job training."

Potts later transferred to the Willingboro Police Department, where he was a member of the "Willingboro Eight," a foot patrol assigned to the Willingboro Plaza, now the Towne Center.

He was "walking the beat" when he met his future wife, Val.

"She's been very supportive. It's no easy job being an officer's wife," the Riverside resident said. "When I was a detective, she would wake up at 2 a.m. some nights in order to make sure I was out the door by 4."

Delran Police Captain Dean Potts will retire from the force in February. -Rose Shields/staff photographer

Potts joined the Delran force in September 1984 and has performed every task imaginable.

He helped deliver a baby. He planned narcotics stings. He investigated three murders (all of them solved). He even waited tables during the annual Cops 'n' Lobsters fundraiser for the Special Olympics.

"It's been such a good town to work in. The people here are very supportive to their police and make you feel at home," Potts said.

He said his most memorable duty occurred Sept. 11, 2001, when he and fellow officers Jeff Hubbs and Ken Hardy were dispatched to assist in North Jersey and New York City.

The trio ended up escorting a convoy of trucks carrying medical supplies from the Meadowlands to ground zero.

"It was so eerie. The plume of smoke (from the World Trade Center) reached all the way down to (Exit) 7A on the turnpike. It felt like the first day in Vietnam. You kept thinking, 'What's going to happen next?' " he said. "We were going across the George Washington Bridge about the time they found a vehicle that they thought might contain explosives."

Potts said there was never any hesitation, despite the uncertainty.

"As soon as we got the word, people jumped at the chance (to respond and assist). The whole department would have gone if they were able to."

In addition to police work, Potts spent 20 years running calls with the Delran Emergency Squad and helped form the Police Department's officer/EMT program. He was among the first six officers to undergo the required training.

"We saw the time delay (between police and emergency squad response), so we talked to the chief, and the six of us went through training and we got defibrillators for the cars. It's really worked out well," he said.

Potts said he was also proud of several other community projects launched during his tenure, including the Adopt-a-Cop program and others involving the township schools.

"People most often see the patrol cars on the street, but there are numerous services that we perform out there," he said. "We go into the high school and put goggles on them that help them experience what it's like to drive intoxicated. What are these programs worth? It's hard to say, but the residents here deserve the service."

Potts said the most valuable lesson he learned from police work was to be respectful and professional with people, even lawbreakers.

"You treat people the way you want to be treated," he said. "There's a time to be heavy-handed, of course, but it's tough out there, and you have to have compassion for people."

Potts, 61, said he has no specific plans for retirement other than to remain in the area. It's a safe bet he'll stay in touch with his co-workers.

"The hardest part is saying goodbye to everyone," he said. "When you spend so much time with people, they become like a family. The people here have been such a great group."

David Levinsky: 609-871-8154;

email: dlevinsky@phillyBurbs.com; Twitter: @davidlevinsky

Police ID man struck and killed on Route 130 in Delran

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20120209/NEWS/302099692

By Matt Chiappardi

Posted: Feb 9, 2012

DELRAN -- Police have identified the man struck by a car and killed Saturday on Route 130, and are urging pedestrians to be careful when crossing the highway.

Mohammad Sattar, 54, of Edgewater Park, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which occurred shortly before 6 p.m. in the southbound lanes near Tenby Chase Drive.

Sattar was crossing Route 130 from the northbound side and was hit when he got to the southbound lanes, police said.

The unidentified driver has not been charged.

Sattar was not using the crosswalk, and there was no indication that he attempted to use the pedestrian traffic control system on the side of the highway, according to police.

He is the second pedestrian killed on Route 130 in the township in the last 30 days.

On Jan. 4, Stephen Latko, 53, address unavailable, was killed when crossing against traffic near Fairview Street.

Police are urging people to use caution when walking near or across the highway, which is considered one of the most dangerous in New Jersey for pedestrians.

"Even in daylight conditions, it can be dangerous," Sgt. Jeffrey Hubbs said. "People are strongly urged to use the crosswalks and not cross against traffic for their own safety."

At least 13 pedestrians have been killed on Route 130 between 2007 and 2010. Figures for 2011 are not yet available.

The deaths prompted the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, an advocacy group, to label the 23 miles of the highway in Burlington County as the most dangerous in the state for pedestrians for the past three years.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation has invested in several pedestrian safety improvements, including sidewalks in the township.

Activists and some officials over the years have called for improved lighting on the highway, more sidewalk space, and more crosswalks as ways to address the issue.

Overall, 52 people were killed on Burlington County roadways in 2011, including five pedestrians, according to New Jersey State Police statistics.

So far in 2012, four people have died on county roads, two of them pedestrians.

Matt Chiappardi: 609-871-8054;

email: mchiappardi@phillyBurbs.com; Twitter: @mattchiappardi

45 displaced from Delran apartment complex fire

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20120213/NEWS/302139792

By Matt Chiappardi

Posted: Feb 13, 2012

Delran police and additional emergency personnel make sure that all the apartments near the fire were empty Saturday prior to the arrival of the fire trucks at Tenby Chase Apartments approximately 2:30 pm.
David Garrett Staff Photographer

DELRAN -- A fire at the Tenby Chase apartment complex Saturday displaced 45 people and heavily damaged four units, fire officials said.

The majority of the people who were not able to return to their apartments or townhouses are likely to only be displaced overnight, said township Fire Chief Jeffrey Lutz.

Their units are not able to be occupied because emergency officials turned off the electricity and gas to the entire building, affecting 22 apartments and townhouses.

Families who live in the four damaged apartments are likely to be displaced much longer, Lutz said.

No one was hurt in the blaze that was first reported at 2:38 p.m., and took firefighters nearly an hour to bring under control, officials said.

Firemen check for hot spots on second floor and roof, Saturday afternoon at scene of fire at the Tenby Chase Apartments, off of Tenby Chase Drive in Delran.
Pete Picknally/BCT Staff Photographer

The fire began in the "M" building at the complex and caused some heavy structural damage to parts of it.

"We had a roof collapse into the second story," Lutz said. "Two of the apartments had some heavy fire damage, and there was smoke damage to another two."

No one was believed to be home in the most heavily damaged apartments at the time of the blaze, Lutz said.

Its cause remained under investigation Saturday afternoon

Neighbors reported seeing flame shooting out of the roof and windows, and hearing glass exploding.

Several people in the building ran out of their homes to escape the spreading flames.

"I heard people banging on the door and yelling for us to get out," said Karen Bakely, who lives in a townhouse adjacent to the blaze's origin. "There was smoke everywhere."

One of her neighbors also came running out at a moment's notice once the fire had sparked.

"We came out the door and you could hear the windows breaking," said David Hogadone. "You could see the fire coming out of the windows."

It was not clear Saturday afternoon whether those residents were able to return to their townhouses.

Karrie Veres just moved into the complex that afternoon and was a little shaken that her first day in her new home including a serious fire right next door.

"We just got here two hours ago," she said. "The cable guy was putting in the cable when (the police) grabbed us and pulled us out."

Veres said she was told her townhouse was not damaged by the blaze, but it is not certain whether she was displaced overnight.

"It has been one crazy day," she said.

Fire officials said that management at the complex and the American Red Cross were working to find shelter for those displaced.

Matt Chiappardi: 609-871-8054;

email mchiappardi@phillyBurbs.com; Twitter @mattchiappardi

Residents of 4 apartments remain homeless after fire

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20120214/NEWS/302149722

Posted: Feb 14, 2012

DELRAN --The residents of four apartments at the Tenby Chase complex remained homeless Monday after a fire Saturday that initially displaced 40 people in 22 apartments and townhomes.

"Most of the residents were allowed to get back in," said Walter Bauer, an official with the Delran Fire Department.

Residents of two of the four units are staying with relatives or friends, and the American Red Cross has sheltered residents of the other two units.

One of the apartments was damaged by fire, another by water and smoke, and three by heavy smoke damage, Bauer said. One of those was vacant.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, Bauer said.

Fire at VFW in Delran remains under investigation

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20120410/NEWS/304109692

By Todd McHale

Posted: Apr 10, 2012

Scene of Sunday night fire at Delran VFW (Post 3020), on Fairview Street in Delran.
Pete Picknally/BCT Staff Photographer

DELRAN A day after a fire raced through the VFW Post 3020 on Fairview Street, investigators continue to look for a cause and the members try to figure out what to do next.

The fire appears to be accidental, township Fire Department spokesman Corey Hullings said Monday.

"Nothing appears to be suspicious," Hullings said. "It originated in the reception area and spread to a storage area and the kitchen."

Crews were dispatched to the scene about 7:35 p.m. Sunday and found heavy smoke pouring out of the building. Area companies also responded and helped extinguish the flames in about 20 minutes.

No injuries were reported, but the building sustained extensive damage.

Scene of Sunday night fire at Delran VFW (Post 3020), on Fairview Street in Delran.
Pete Picknally/BCT Staff Photographer

"It's a mess," said Al Bucchi Jr., commander of the Samuel T. Lambert VFW Post 3020. "The walls are all charred, and there's a hole in the ceiling. It's an amazing loss. It's just devastating."

On Monday, many members were upset, disappointed and still in shock, but incoming commander Todd Epperly said it's in their nature to pull together and overcome obstacles.

"We're veterans. We'll stick together and fight," Epperly said. "Hopefully, we'll have a new post in the future. We're moving toward that direction."

The post has 350 active members from Delran, Cinnaminson, Delanco, Palmyra, Riverside and Riverton.

For decades, the VFW has served not only as a meeting place for veterans but also as host to a number of social events and community services.

Scene of Sunday night fire at Delran VFW (Post 3020), on Fairview Street in Delran.
Pete Picknally/BCT Staff Photographer

"The VFW has been a cornerstone in the community for years," Bucchi said.

It regularly receives and responds to requests for assistance. Through its Charitable Giving Committee, the VFW helps struggling families with utility payments and food donations; provides money and equipment to area fire, police and emergency squads; and gives to charitable causes advocated by its members.

"We do a lot of charitable giving," Bucchi said. "We give tens of thousands of dollars to the community and residents in need."

The post also hands out college scholarships and presents community awards to police, fire and EMTs as well as a teacher of the year award

Riverside Deputy Mayor Lorraine Hatcher, a post member with her husband, said she was concerned about the fire's potential impact on the post's services to the community.

Throughout the day, a steady stream of members and area residents drove by the post. Some visitors knew about the fire, while others were surprised to see bright orange signs on the front and back doors indicating an unsafe structure.

"I didn't even know about it until I drove up and saw the sign on the door," said Alvin Herman of Delanco, a social member of the post.

"It's a great loss," Herman said. "As for the people, you can't ask for a better group of people. I'm really going to miss it."

He said the post holds a lot of special memories for the members and others.

Resident Lynn Ercol recalled a baby shower nearly two decades ago to celebrate the impending arrival of her daughter, Courtney. That was followed by a number of family parties, including Courtney Ercol's Sweet 16 birthday.

On June 23, the family had scheduled to host a party in honor of the young woman's graduation from Riverside High School. But Sunday's fire has altered those plans.

"It's going to be really sad to not have it there," Lynn Ercol said. "We have great memories there of all the other parties and things.

"It's a great place. The people are fabulous," she continued. "I think that's why people gravitate to it."

Bucchi said despite the circumstances, he is confident the post members and the community will come together.

"A lot of people might just want to pack up and move on, but we're hoping to get back as soon as possible and be better than ever," he said.

All events on the VFW's schedule, including private parties and post-sponsored events, are in the process of being moved to other locations.

Epperly said local fire companies have stepped up.

"The firehouses from Delran, Riverside and Delanco are offering their halls for our people," he said.

Bucchi said post leaders will continue to sort out the schedule in the coming days. Anyone with questions is asked to email the post at vining@vfwpost3020.org.

Todd McHale: 609-871-8163; email: tmchale@phillyBurbs.com; Twitter: @toddmchale

Kristen Coppock: 609-871-8073;

email kcoppock@phillyBurbs.com;

Twitter @kcoppockbct

Firefighters’ boots to benefit local VFW

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20120515/NEWS/305159709

Posted: May 15, 2012

Volunteer firefighters in three communities are holding a boot drive Sunday to benefit the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 3020.

Fire departments in Delanco, Delran and Riverside will solicit donations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at some intersections and businesses in their towns.

Money collected will assist the VFW in the wake of an Easter night fire that heavily damaged its headquarters and banquet hall on South Fairview Street in Delran.

Delran Community Day slated for Sunday

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20120923/NEWS/309239795

By Todd McHale

Posted: Sep 23, 2012

DELRAN -- Games, rides, live entertainment and a host of other activities will be on tap Sunday for the fourth annual Delran Community Day on the grounds of Holy Cross High School on Route 130.

The free event, sponsored by the township and the Delran Business Association, runs from noon to 4 p.m.

"We're pretty excited about it," Mayor Ken Paris said. "We have about 70 vendors, and this year we added more activities for the children."

"We're going to have a bunch of those inflatable rides for both the younger kids as well as the teenagers," he said.

The event also will feature crafters, live music, a magician, and performances by the East Coast Dance Center.

Police officers, firefighters and EMTs will be displaying their equipment and offering safety demonstrations throughout the day.

Several civic organizations plan to participate, and the Food Bank of South Jersey will be collecting nonperishable food. Visitors can make a donation and receive a ticket for a drawing for a free gift.

For those who get hungry, the business association will sell hot dogs and other tasty treats, Paris said. All proceeds will benefit its college scholarship fund for township students.

Delran Community Day began in 2009 as a way to showcase local businesses and draw county residents to the community.

"It was a way for the township and the business association to give back to the community," Paris said. "It's something for the whole family. It's a special time -- a fun day for all."

Todd McHale: 609-871-8163; email: tmchale@phillyBurbs.com; Twitter: @toddmchale

Delran honors emergency personnel for life-saving efforts

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20120927/LIFESTYLE/309279647

By Todd McHale

Posted: Sep 27, 2012

DELRAN -- Ashaunte Norman has no recollection of the accident, but she knows all too well the men who rescued her.

"You are definitely my heroes. Thank God for giving all of you the courage to save my life," Norman told Delran police officers Jeff Hamlet, Frederick Irons and Joe Vasbinder and EMT James McKenzie during a special ceremony at Tuesday's township council meeting.

The Willingboro resident came to the municipal building to express her appreciation to the three patrolmen and paramedic for pulling her from a burning car after a three-vehicle accident on Route 130 on Aug. 27.

The rescuers pulled Norman from her 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse just as the vehicle's gas tank ignited and engulfed the car in flames after the 12:11 a.m. accident at Fairview Boulevard.

"The last thing I remember was I was driving on City Line Avenue in Philadelphia," said Norman, who was knocked unconscious in the crash.

When the call went out over the police radio, none of the officers expected to have to rescue someone.

"We were responding to a vehicle on fire," Irons said. "Usually, that means a car that caught fire and is parked on the side of the road. We didn't expect to see a three-car accident with an entrapment."

As soon as the officers determined that Norman was still inside the vehicle, they sprang into action.

They used fire extinguishers to try to knock down the flames as much as possible, but they all knew they had little time.

"I was thinking, 'We've got to get her out as quick as we can,'" Hamlet said. "At the time, you're not thinking about the danger. You just want to get her out."

The officers handed off their extinguishers to a couple of bystanders from a nearby business and teamed to pull Norman out.

"The flames were going over the seat from the back of the burning car," Vasbinder said.

With the vehicle doors jammed from the impact, the officers had no choice but to yank Norman out the window.

But her leg got caught in her seat belt. That's when McKenzie whipped out his pocketknife and cut the belt.

Norman was taken to Cooper University Hospital in Camden with a head injury, smoke inhalation and leg burns. She was transferred to the burn center at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia.

Although still recovering from her head injury and recent skin-graft procedures, Norman said she simply had to attend the commendation ceremony.

Township officials also wanted to acknowledge the life-saving efforts of another officer during the ceremony. Patrolman Rodney Hubbs was recognized for performing CPR on a man who suffered cardiac arrest in the parking lot of the Red Lobster over the summer.

"They really performed admirably," Mayor Ken Paris said of the heroes. "This is something we don't do enough."

"If it weren't for these four guys, Ashaunte may not be here anymore," council President Gary Catrambone said.

Chief Alfonso Parente Jr. said he's proud of the officers.

"I think they do a fantastic job," Parente said. "They deserve the recognition."

Perhaps the best recognition of all was the big hug for all the men from a grateful woman.

"This was the best way for me to show my appreciation," Norman said after the ceremony.

Todd McHale: 609-871-8163;

email: tmchale@phillyBurbs.com;

Twitter: @toddmchale

Case that prompted Moose’s Law may not go to trial

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20121004/NEWS/310049704

By Kristen Coppock

Posted: Oct 4, 2012

Moose went missing May 31, 2012 after jumping over a 4-foot fence surrounding his owners' yard in Delran. Moose was found in Riverside by Jacqueline Lockard, 24, of Delran. Lockard returned his body to the Workmans. She told them she was jogging when she found the dog dead beneath a tank outside the American Legion Post 146 in Riverside. However, it was later revealed that Moose died in Lockard's care after she left him crated inside a parked vehicle on a hot July day. She later tried to cover up her involvement, authorities said. -Contributed

MOUNT HOLLY -- A woman charged in connection with the death of a neighbor's dog could avoid facing a criminal trial.

Jacqueline Lockard, 24, of Delran, was charged Aug. 2 with theft of lost property and animal cruelty after the death of Moose, a 3-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever. Lockard applied Tuesday for pretrial intervention at the Burlington County Courthouse. The court will determine by Nov. 27 whether or not her application is accepted.

Pretrial intervention is not uncommon in cases for nonviolent crimes and criminal charges of lesser degrees. Acceptance of the application would prevent the case from being presented to a grand jury for indictment, and Lockard would avoid jail time.

Moose went missing May 31 after jumping over a 4-foot fence surrounding the Workman family's yard in Delran. The owners spent more than a month searching for their pet, including knocking on doors and posting fliers in the neighborhood.

Despite those efforts, Moose remained missing until July 13, when Lockard returned his body to the Workmans. She told them she was jogging when she found the dog dead beneath a tank outside the American Legion Post 146 in Riverside.

After a veterinarian determined Moose had died recently and had not been running wild for more than a month, the circumstances surrounding the dog's disappearance and death were investigated by Delran police and the Burlington County SPCA.

Described by police as a novice dog rescuer and trainer, Lockard eventually confessed to giving Moose to a Pennsylvania family that had agreed to pay her to train him. She failed to try to return the animal to the Workmans after learning he was missing and being sought by the owners.

Moose died in Lockard's care after she left him crated inside a parked vehicle on a hot July day, police said. She later tried to cover up her involvement.

Lockard has no previous criminal record, which could favor the acceptance of her pretrial intervention application, according to authorities.

But Sissy Workman said the application should be denied. She cited misleading statements Lockard made to authorities and said her pet could have been let go at anytime.

"He would have returned home, no questions asked," Workman said. "She chose to keep him for profit."

The case inspired Moose's Law, a New Jersey bill sponsored by Assemblymen Troy Singleton, D-7th of Palmyra; Herb Conaway, D-7th of Delanco; and John Burzichelli, D-3rd of Paulsboro. Introduced in the Assembly on Sept. 27, the legislation would prohibit people convicted of crimes against animals from owning domestic companion pets and from working in animal-related enterprises, such as grooming and training.

An online petition supporting the measure had gathered more than 1,200 signatures by Wednesday afternoon.

Kristen Coppock: 609-871-8073;

email: kcoppock@phillyBurbs.com;

Twitter: @kcoppockbct

Delran fire department seeking donations to help Sandy victims

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20121108/NEWS/311089670

Posted: Nov 8, 2012

DELRAN -- The township fire company is collecting donations of items that can be sent to the Jersey Shore to help victims of Hurricane Sandy, which devastated the area last week.

Delran Fire Company No. 1 will be accepting the donations between 6 and 11 p.m. Thursday at its headquarters on South Bridgeboro Street, fire officials said.

They are hoping people can donate socks, gloves, winter hats, shoes, bottled water, nonperishable food items, soap, hand sanitizer, and cleaning supplies.

Firefighters have a surplus of used clothing and ask that any clothing donations be new items.

The company plans to box the material and take it to a central drop-off location in Ocean County on Saturday morning.

The fire company also is looking for volunteers to help package the items Thursday night. Donations also will be accepted Friday.

For more information, contact the fire department at 856-461-4424.

Delran woman rejected from court program in “Moose” animal cruelty case

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20121219/NEWS/312199729

By Danielle Camilli and Kristen Coppock

Posted: Dec 19, 2012

Moose went missing May 31, 2012 after jumping over a 4-foot fence surrounding his owners' yard in Delran. Moose was found in Riverside by Jacqueline Lockard, 24, of Delran. Lockard returned his body to the Workmans. She told them she was jogging when she found the dog dead beneath a tank outside the American Legion Post 146 in Riverside. However, it was later revealed that Moose died in Lockard's care after she left him crated inside a parked vehicle on a hot July day. She later tried to cover up her involvement, authorities said. -Contributed

MOUNT HOLLY -- A Delran woman charged with animal cruelty in the death of a neighbor's dog, and whose alleged actions has sparked new legislation, has been rejected from a first-time offenders program in Superior Court.

Jacqueline Lockard, 24, is appealing the decision to reject her from the court's pretrial intervention program. The appeal was due to be heard Tuesday in court, but the hearing was postponed until Jan. 8.

Officials have not revealed why Lockard's initial application was rejected from the program for nonviolent offenders. Pretrial intervention allows defendants, generally first-time offenders, the chance to complete a supervised program as an alternative to jail time and other criminal sanctions. If a defendant successfully completes the program, which could include substance abuse treatment, counseling, restitution and community service, the charges are dismissed and there is no record of conviction.

Lockard was charged Aug. 2 with theft of lost property and animal cruelty after the death of Moose, a 3-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever. Moose went missing May 31 after jumping over a 4-foot fence surrounding his family's yard in Delran.

The dog's owner, the Workman family, adamantly opposed Lockard's acceptance into pretrial intervention, which could have been a factor in the rejection.

The family spent more than a month searching for their pet, including knocking on doors and posting fliers in the neighborhood. Despite those efforts, Moose remained missing until July 13, when Lockard returned his body to the family. She told the Workmans she was jogging when she found the dog dead beneath a tank outside the American Legion Post 146 in Riverside.

After a veterinarian determined Moose had died recently and had not been running wild for more than a month, the circumstances surrounding the dog's disappearance and death were investigated by the Delran Police Department and the Burlington County SPCA.

Described by police as a novice dog rescuer and trainer, Lockard eventually confessed to giving Moose to a Pennsylvania family that had agreed to pay her to train him. She failed to try to return the animal to the Workmans after learning he was missing and being sought by the owners. Moose died in Lockard's care after she left him crated inside a parked vehicle on a hot July day, police said. She later tried to cover up her involvement.

Since she had no previous record, Lockard was eligible to apply for pretrial intervention, which is not uncommon for first-time offenders charged with nonviolent crimes. If a judge does not reverse the decision to reject her, the case could be presented to a grand jury for indictment and proceed like other criminal cases.

Moose's owner, Sissy Workman, was in court Tuesday with supporters.

"I'm ecstatic that they rejected her application," she said. "I don't think she will ever go to jail, but I don't think she should be able to just walk away, either. There has to be some middle ground where she is held responsible. We're not giving this up."

Workman previously cited misleading statements Lockard made to authorities and said her pet could have been let go at anytime.

The case inspired Moose's Law, a New Jersey bill sponsored by Assemblymen Troy Singleton, D-7th of Palmyra; Herb Conaway, D-7th of Delanco; and John Burzichelli, D-3rd of Paulsboro. The Assembly last week approved the measure, which would increase penalties for the abuse or neglect of pets. The Senate has yet to vote on the bill.

Moose's Law would bar people convicted of animal cruelty in any state from working in animal care jobs, such as veterinarian offices, dog training centers, rescue groups, kennels or groomers. The measure also would bar people who have been convicted of animal cruelty from owning a pet.

Danielle Camilli: 609-267-7586;

email: dcamilli@phillyBurbs.com;

Twitter: @dcamilli.

Delran woman indicted in animal abuse case

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20130123/NEWS/301239545

By Kristen Coppock

Posted: Jan 23, 2013

Jacqueline Lockard of Delran in court in January. -Nancy Rokos

MOUNT HOLLY -- A grand jury has indicted a woman on criminal charges in connection with the death of a Delran family's dog.

Jacqueline Lockard of Delran is facing two counts in the case that inspired Moose's Law and has drawn public outrage. The charges include third-degree theft by failure to make required disposition of property received and fourth-degree hindering apprehension.

Lockard could face up to five years in prison if convicted on the theft charge.

Sissy Workman of Delran, whose dog, 'Moose' died while Jacqueline Lockard had him in her possession, reacts after Burlington County Superior Court Judge Jeanne Covert denied PTI to Lockard. -Nancy Rokos

She is accused of knowingly neglecting to return Moose, a 3-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever, to his owners as they frantically searched for their missing pet for more than a month. She allegedly renamed the dog Cocoa and sold him for $100 to an unidentified Pennsylvania family that paid her to train the canine.

Moose died on July 13 while he was crated in Lockard's hot vehicle. After the dog died, she contacted his original owner, Sissy Workman, to return the body. According to Delran police, she later told them a false story in an effort to cover up her involvement in his disappearance and death.

Burlington County Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Paszkiewicz states her case against have the defendent, Jacqueline Lockard be granted PTI. -Nancy Rokos

Lockard has been described by police as a novice dog rescuer and trainer. She faces a number of criminal and civil charges related to her work, including some municipal charges in Delran, Burlington County Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Paszkiewicz said earlier this month.

The Burlington County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has filed six civil charges against Lockard related to Moose's treatment. According to BCSPCA representative Cheri Mosca, the dog had "inadequate" shelter, food and water. The agency has also filed four more charges connected to two other dogs that were in Lockard's possession last summer.

Lockard faces further unspecified charges in Pennsylvania in connection with the operation of an unlicensed kennel, Paszkiewicz said.

"There seems to be a pattern of improper care of animals," the prosecutor has said.

Defendent, Jacqueline Lockard of Delran sits besides her legal representative, attorney Bonnie Geller-Gorman during her PTI hearing in Burlington County Superior Court Judge Jeanne Covert's court room. -Nancy Rokos

Defense attorney Bonnie Geller-Gorman acknowledged on Jan. 8 the accusations related to Moose's death, but noted that Lockard had no criminal convictions. Lockard previously was denied pretrial intervention. Under the indictment, she next faces arraignment. Before a trial is scheduled, she will have an opportunity to plead guilty or not guilty.

Burlington County Superior Court Judge Jeanne Covert explains her decision on whether to grant defendent, Jacqueline Lockard, PTI or not. -Nancy Rokos

The case inspired a New Jersey bill that would bar people convicted of animal cruelty in any state from working in animal care jobs, such as veterinarian offices, dog training centers, rescue groups, kennels or groomers. Moose's Law also would bar people who have been convicted of animal cruelty from owning a pet.

The measure, sponsored by Assemblymen Troy Singleton, D-7th of Palmyra; Herb Conaway, D-7th of Delanco; and John Burzichelli, D-3rd of Paulsboro, was approved by the Assembly in December. The Senate has yet to vote on the bill.

Workman has spoken publicly and to lawmakers in support of the bill. She said her objective is simply to "prevent another tragedy."

Kristen Coppock: 609-871-8073;

email: kcoppock@phillyBurbs.com;

Twitter: @kcoppockbct.

Reward for missing dog to benefit animal shelter

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20130206/NEWS/302069601

By Kristen Coppock

Posted: Feb 6, 2013

DELRAN -- Reward money offered in exchange for information about a local family's then-missing dog will be used to help other animals.

Last month, Delran resident Jacqueline Lockard was indicted by a Burlington County grand jury on two charges related to the disappearance and death last summer of Moose, a 3-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever.

While Moose was missing, about $500 had been collected from individual donors who wanted to help find him.

Sissy Workman, the dog's owner, said she is using the money to purchase items needed at the Burlington County Animal Shelter in Westampton, and is collecting additional supplies from other concerned citizens. The Delran resident is planning to deliver the supplies Saturday morning and is encouraging others interested in donating to drop off items at the Woodlane Road facility.

Workman is planning to be on-site at 10 a.m. to receive donations. Anyone interested in making alternative arrangements for dropping off items can contact her at sis.wrkmn@verizon.net.

Workman said some donors who contributed money to the reward fund had indicated they would prefer the money benefit another cause if not used to find Moose. She said the county shelter seemed like a good fit.

"They're the first ones people call when they're looking for a dog," she said. "They helped me a lot in trying to locate (Moose) and by taking my daily phone calls."

The shelter's most sought-after items include Kuranda cat beds, kitten food and formula, and flea and tick treatments. Its wish list includes newspapers, food bowls, pet toys, dog and cat food, leashes, collars, medium-size Kuranda dog beds, non-clumping cat litter, dog crates and cat carriers.

The shelter also needs blankets, towels, sheets, hot dogs, plastic sandwich bags, clipper blades (sizes 40 and 10), hand sanitizer, disinfectants, cleaning supplies, laundry soap, dryer sheets, paper towels, 9 volt and AA batteries, and kitchen utensils such as forks and spoons.

Workman said using the reward fund to provide much-needed pet supplies is giving her some sense of closure to the search for her dog and the public concern it generated.

"(The reward) got put on the back burner, but I really feel good doing this," she said.

Moose went missing May 31 after jumping over a backyard fence. The Workman family tried to find him for more than a month, often searching the area, knocking on neighborhood doors and posting Internet pleas for information.

Days before he was located, a $1,000 reward fund was organized by the Workmans and Browne's Jewelers in Delanco, in an effort to encourage anyone with knowledge about Moose's disappearance to step forward. According to Workman, about $200 was collected at the store and $300 came from the family's personal acquaintances.

Moose's remains were returned July 13 to the family by Lockard, a novice dog rescuer and trainer, according to Delran police. She is accused of knowingly neglecting to return the pet to the Workmans. Instead, Lockard allegedly sold Moose to an unidentified Pennsylvania family for $100 and was paid to train the canine for his new owners.

According to authorities, Moose died after being crated and locked in Lockard's car on a hot day. She later told Delran police a false story in an effort to cover up her involvement.

Lockard is facing a third-degree charge of theft by failure to make required disposition of property received, and a fourth-degree charge of hindering apprehension. If convicted on the theft charge, she could face up to five years in prison.

The case has inspired a New Jersey bill that would bar people convicted of animal cruelty in any state from working in animal care jobs, such as veterinarian offices, dog training centers, rescue groups, kennels or groomers. Moose's Law also would bar people who have been convicted of animal cruelty from owning a pet.

The measure, sponsored by Assemblymen Troy Singleton, D-7th of Palmyra; Herb Conaway, D-7th of Delanco; and John Burzichelli, D-3rd of Paulsboro, was approved by the Assembly in December. The Senate has yet to vote on the bill.

Kristen Coppock: 609-871-8073; email: kcoppock@phillyBurbs.com; Twitter: @kcoppockbct

Former Delran woman pleads guilty in dog’s death

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20130226/NEWS/302269649

By Danielle Camilli

Posted: Feb 26, 2013

A novice dog trainer admitted in Superior Court in Burlington County on Monday that she stole a Delran neighbor's chocolate Labrador retriever last summer, sold him, and then, while training the animal for his new owners, left Moose in her hot car to die.

Jacquelin Lockard, formerly of Delran, pleaded guilty to theft by failure to make required disposition of property and two offenses of animal cruelty, including "inflicting unnecessary cruelty to a living animal by leaving it in a hot car," at her arraignment at the Burlington County Courthouse in Mount Holly.

The second offense was for failing to provide proper shelter for her own dog.

The charges against Lockard, who is living in Philadelphia and running a Pennsylvania-based dog training and boarding business, sparked outrage and inspired Moose's Law, legislation that is awaiting a vote in the New Jersey Senate.

When Judge Jeanne T. Covert, who accepted her plea, sentences Lockard on April 19, the 24-year-old woman is facing two years of probation, 150 hours of community service, more than $500 in fines and fees and restitution of up to $1,330.

"In addition, as part of her sentence, she is to have no contact with domesticated animals in New Jersey," Burlington County Assistant Prosecutor Lawrence Nelsen said.

A charge of hindering and other summonses would be dismissed, Nelsen said.

Lockard admitted in court that she came into possession of Moose not knowing who his owners were and sold him to a Pennsylvania family. That family subsequently returned the dog for training, she acknowledged.

She also admitted that she "did not return" the animal when she learned he belonged to her neighbors. On July 13, Lockard left Moose in her hot vehicle, and acknowledged that her actions subjected the nearly 3-year-old dog to "inhumane conditions."

Lockard also admitted that two weeks later she left her own dog, Rico, outside in the heat without water.

Lockard returned Moose to his owners after he died, concocting a story to cover up her involvement in his monthlong disappearance and death, police said.

Sissy Workman, Moose's owner, watched from the court gallery as the defendant took responsibility in the case.

"I'm really sad," Workman said as tears ran down her face. "I understand the court process, but it's really not enough."

She said her family had approached Lockard within 15 minutes of Moose's jumping the fence and running from her yard. Workman said the defendant stood on her porch and watched for hours as the family and other neighbors frantically searched for the dog.

"And two weeks later, I went to her, as a person who we thought cared about animals, and had a lengthy discussion with her," Workman said. "She took a bunch of my missing fliers and gave me about 10 of her business cards. It struck me as odd when she said, 'If I find him, I will return him.' How was she going to find him if I couldn't?"

Since Moose's story grabbed headlines around the region, Workman said she has received calls and letters from other homeowners who had trouble with Lockard.

Lockard did not respond to requests for comment. Her business website, communicatingcanines.com, was still active Monday, advertising services in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

In a call to the number listed, Lockard identifies the name of the business in her message.

She has been described by police as a novice dog rescuer and trainer. In court, she said she was a high school graduate, but made no mention of any additional schooling or training.

Lockard faces further unspecified charges in Pennsylvania in connection with the operation of an unlicensed kennel, authorities said. If she violates her New Jersey probation, she could face five years in prison on the theft conviction.

Moose's Law, sponsored by Assemblymen Troy Singleton, D-7th of Palmyra; Herb Conaway, D-7th of Delanco; and John Burzichelli, D-3rd of Paulsboro, was approved by the Assembly in December. It would bar people convicted of animal cruelty in any state from working in animal care jobs, such as veterinarian offices, dog training centers, rescue groups, kennels or groomers, in New Jersey. It also would prohibit people who have been convicted of animal cruelty from owning a pet.

The Senate has yet to vote on the bill.

Workman has spoken publicly and to lawmakers in support of the bill.

After court Monday, she urged pet owners who have bad experiences with professional or novice caretakers to report them to authorities so other animals are protected.

"Crimes against animals really do affect people, and we have to report what we know so there is a record and the person can be stopped. People have to follow through," Workman said. "For Jackie, this is her living, and she should not be able to do what she did to Moose ever again."

Danielle Camilli: 609-267-7586; email: dcamilli@phillyburbs.com; Twitter: @bctdanielle

Woman sentenced for theft, animal cruelty in death of Delran’s Moose

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20130421/NEWS/304219699

By Danielle Camilli

Posted: Apr 21, 2013

Jacqueline Lockard appears in Burlington County Superior Court in Mount Holly for her sentencing before Judge Jeanne Covert on charges of animal cruelty. She stole a dog "Moose" from her neighbors back yard in Delran last summer. She then sold the dog, took him back to train him, left him in a hot car where he died. -Dennis Mc Donald

A novice dog trainer who admitted that she stole Moose, a Delran neighbor's chocolate Labrador retriever last summer, sold him, and then, while training him for new owners, left him in her hot car to die, was barred from ever having contact with domesticated animals in New Jersey.

Superior Court Judge Jeanne T. Covert sentenced Jacqueline Lockard, formerly of Delran and now living in Philadelphia, to serve two years of probation and complete 150 hours of community service during a hearing at the Burlington County Courthouse in Mount Holly on Friday.

Covert also ordered the 24-year-old high school graduate to pay more than $1,500 in restitution and an additional $500 in fines as part of a negotiated plea deal on charges of theft and animal cruelty involving Moose and one of her own pets.

The charges against Lockard, who now runs the Pennsylvania-based Communicating Canines Dog Training, according to her business website, sparked outrage last year and inspired Moose's Law, legislation that is awaiting a vote in the New Jersey Senate.

"I hate her for what she did to me, to my family, and especially what she did to Moose. What a needless, senseless cruel death he died. He was an amazing dog. He would look you in the eye and want to talk to you," said Sissy Workman, Moose's owner, during her victim-impact statement. "He died in your hands. ... You killed my dog."

Sissy Workman speaks to the court during the sentencing of Jacqueline Lockard on animal cruelty charges in Burlington County Superior Court in Mount Holly before Judge Jeanne Covert. Lockard stole "Moose" from her Workman's back yard in Delran last summer. She then sold the dog, took him back to train him, and then left him in a hot car where he died. -staff photographer

Struggling to speak through tears, Workman said Moose's death could have been avoided if Lockard had only returned the animal after he got out of the yard. His owners and a large search party organized immediately to look for him had approached the defendant within 15 minutes of Moose's disappearance, Workman told the judge.

She believed Moose would have run to Lockard's house because she had two dogs with whom he would be "looking to play."

"She knew where he belonged, but she lied and was hiding him in her house," Workman said as some of her supporters, including family, friends and members of the Burlington County SPCA, sat in the court gallery with tears in their eyes.

In February, Lockard admitted in court that she came into possession of Moose not knowing who his owners were and sold him to a Pennsylvania family. That family subsequently returned the dog for training, she acknowledged.

Lockard also admitted that she "did not return" the animal when she learned he belonged to her neighbors. On July 13, she left Moose in her hot vehicle and acknowledged that her actions subjected the large dog to "inhumane conditions."

Lockard further admitted that two weeks later she left her own dog, Rico, outside in the heat without water. She returned Moose to his owners after he died, concocting a story to cover up her involvement in his month long disappearance and death, police said.

Sissy Workman, shows a missing poster of her dog "Moose", during the sentencing of Jacqueline Lockard onj animal cruelty charges in Burlington County Superior Court in Mount Holly before Judge Jeanne Covert. Lockard stole "Moose" from her Workman's back yard in Delran last summer. She then sold the dog, took him back to train him, and then left him in a hot car where he died. -Dennis Mc Donald

Workman said that Lockard told her she found Moose dead while jogging nearby, but that the story made no sense and the search party had looked in that area multiple times. Furthermore, Moose showed no signs of being outside wandering when Workman inspected his body when it was returned to her. She told the judge the animal was much thinner.

"She should have known better," Workman said.

Family members ultimately got to say goodbye, but Workman has very little peace.

"I told him that I was sorry that I didn't find him and that I was sorry for not protecting him," she said, sobbing.

Moose was buried in the Workmans' backyard with their other dogs, who lived to be 13 and 14 years old.

Since Moose's story grabbed headlines around the region, Workman said she has received calls and letters from others who had trouble with Lockard.

"It's a horrible tragedy," Lockard said in court. "I'm sorry everyone's been hurt by this. I'm sorry. That's all I can really say."

She has been described by police as a novice dog rescuer and trainer. On her websites, www.communicatingcanines.com and abnerspress.com, she describes herself as a behavioral specialist with professional experience. In court, she said she was a high school graduate, but made no mention of any additional schooling or training.

Attorney Bonnie Geller-Gorman said her client was not "a monster or like Michael Vick," but a young woman who exercised "extremely poor judgment."

"She is not an evil person," the public defender said.

Covert said while Lockard had accepted responsibility through her plea, she hoped the defendant understood the consequences of her actions and the pain it caused. She said Workman should not be feeling guilty.

"I hope you have some understanding about how this came to pass and who is really ultimately responsible," the judge said to the defendant.

Moose's Law, sponsored by Assemblymen Troy Singleton, D-7th of Palmyra; Herb Conaway, D-7th of Delanco; and John Burzichelli, D-3rd of Paulsboro, was approved by the Assembly in March.

It would bar people convicted of animal cruelty in any state from working in animal care jobs, such as veterinarian offices, dog training centers, rescue groups, kennels or groomers, in New Jersey. It also would prohibit people who have been convicted of animal cruelty from owning a pet.

The Senate has yet to vote on the bill.

Danielle Camilli: 609-267-7586; email: dcamilli@phillyBurbs.com; Twitter: @bctdanielle

Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office honors those who went above and beyond

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20130517/NEWS/305179698

By David Levinsky

Posted: May 17, 2013

DELRAN -- Heroes don't always wear a uniform or carry a badge. Some aren't even old enough to vote.

Take Derek Mihalecsko.

Last May, the fourth-grader at the Florence V. Evans Elementary School in Evesham was finishing his lunch when he noticed a friend coughing and banging his hands on the lunch table. Recognizing his classmate was choking, Derek successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver to free a small cracker that was blocking the boy's airway.

Miranda Bowman didn't see the same happy ending as Derek, but her actions last July were no less heroic. The 12-year-old Burlington Township girl was riding in a car with her 63-year-old grandfather when he suffered a fatal heart attack. Miranda, who was a front-seat passenger, was able to grab the wheel and steer the vehicle off the roadway to safety.

The quick actions and clear thinking displayed by the two children were highlighted along with the actions of heroism and outstanding deeds of other civilians and law enforcement officers Thursday night during the 25th annual PROCOPS awards banquet at the Touch of Class by Candlelite catering hall. The acronym stands for Prosecutor's Recognition of Citizens or Public Servants.

Burlington County Assistant First Prosecutor Ray Milavsky said the ceremony remains an important one.

"Our law enforcement officers face potential danger every hour of every shift. We need to appreciate that and not take their service for granted," Milavsky said.

Likewise, he said the civilian stories set an example for others.

"You hear stories about people ignoring cries for help and not calling 911 or trying to assist. Well, these are the people who got it right," Milavsky said. "They understood what doing the right thing is."

Miranda and Derek were two of six civilians who received citizen hero awards during the evening.

Michael McQuaide, a Burlington County Health Department inspector, and department intern Aisha Spells of Willingboro received awards for rescuing a drowning man from a Maple Shade motel swimming pool they were inspecting last August.

Bryan DeGraw of Mount Holly was honored for helping to free a woman from a crashed car in Pemberton Township last August just moments before it burst into flames.

Susan Dickinson of Evesham, Amanda Hubler of Delanco and James McKenzie of Germantown, Md., were recognized for assisting Delran police officers in rescuing a woman from a burning vehicle last August after an early-morning crash on Route 130.

Delran officers Frederick Irons, Joseph Vasbinder and Jeffrey Hamlet received law enforcement honors for their roles in that same rescue. They were among 10 law enforcement officers to get commendations.

The others were:

Detective Sgt. Carol Cooper of the Burlington County Sheriff's Department, for an investigation that led to the arrest of suspects responsible for an April 2012 bomb threat that forced the evacuation of the Burlington County Courthouse in Mount Holly.

Detective Richard Naff of the Moorestown Police Department and detectives Jason Deroian and William Knecht of the Medford force, for solving two separate but overlapping burglary sprees in 2011 and 2012 that resulted in more than $2 million in losses to area victims;

Riverside Patrolman Sean Nolan, for rescuing two elderly residents, including one in a wheelchair, from a house that caught fire during Superstorm Sandy.

Retired Mount Holly Officer Kara Loehr, for apprehending an armed suspect who had attacked her with two knives after a March 2011 domestic dispute.

Florence Detective Al Jacoby, for his efforts in trying to rescue a young girl from a burning home in April 2012. Police said Jacoby, who was acting in his capacity as a volunteer firefighter, remained in the burning home for such a lengthy period that his firefighting gear had to be removed from service. Although he was able to find the girl, she later was pronounced dead.

"Although she succumbed to her injuries, there was a chance. At least we gave her a chance to get out," Jacoby said. "It was certainly one of those close calls."

In addition to the officer commendations, the Burlington County Department of Public Safety's Division of Communications was presented with a unit excellence award for its work in fielding 911 emergency calls.

The Bordentown Township Police Department received a special recognition award for its cooperation in sending officers to work with the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office's Gang, Gun and Narcotics Task Force.

And Evesham Lt. Robert Kehoe was awarded the Capt. Gerald P. Drummond Career Recognition Award for his contributions over 29 years in numerous areas, including SWAT tactics, crisis management, high-risk search warrants, combat training, and continued education and training.

David Levinsky: 609-871-8154; email: dlevinsky@phillyBurbs.com; Twitter: @davidlevinsky

Wandering black bear subdued in Burlco

Source: https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20130531_Burlco_bear_treed_in_Delran.html

By Barbara Boyer, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: May 30, 2013

Bear in Burlington County about to get weighed. Photo: Barb Boyer.

The black bear working his way through Burlington County had become so popular, he had his own Facebook page and Twitter account.

He had hundreds of followers on social media, news crews in helicopters chasing him, and a crowd of 100 spectators cheering him on by Thursday, when he climbed a tree in Delran.

There, he was shot with two tranquilizer darts, netted, examined, and relocated to a more hospitable habitat.

His four-hour standoff with police ended peacefully about 10 a.m., and the bear was seen running free in the Pine Barrens during the afternoon.

Officials warned, though, that he may return.

"It does not mean he will not come back," said Kim Tinnes, the wildlife sharpshooter who subdued the bear. "If they get that wanderlust, we can't stop them."

Upon the bear's capture, officials discovered from his ear tag that he was last summer's Vineland bear.

In Cumberland County, he similarly roamed a neighborhood, where he climbed a tree, was tranquilized, and driven to nearby Wharton State Forest.

In Burlington County, the bear had been strolling about for several days, putting on a show for spectators until Thursday's finale, which was not a typical standoff for police.

"I've been here for 25 years and I don't think we've ever had a bear visit our town," said Delran Sgt. Jeffrey Hubbs, who assisted in the capture. "This is pretty uncommon."

Hubbs noted that Delran High School's mascot is a bear.

A resident called Delran police at 5:47 a.m. to report the bear in a backyard. Wildlife officials told police that if the bear climbed a tree, they could prepare to capture it.

The three-year-old bear took refuge 25 feet up in a tree behind a preschool. It's unclear whether the bear was encouraged to climb, but once he was there, an officer stood guard at the base.

Police and firefighters then surrounded the area in the Tenby Chase apartments, just off Route 130, and set up a perimeter to keep spectators back. News helicopters swirled above, trying to capture images.

About 9 a.m., Tinnes hit the bear with the first tranquilizer dart. She shot him a second time at 9:15.

The bear gradually dozed off, and the crowd watched with anticipation as they heard branches breaking.

"Oh, oh, oh," could be heard from the chorus of spectators.

Branch by broken branch, the bear descended.

A circle of police and wildlife officers held a net tight, but still, the six-foot-long, 364-pound bear went to ground, his landing softened by underbrush.

"We were happy to see him dropping little by little so he would not get hurt," said Cindy Wasco, 50, of Riverside, who joined her friend Denise Pfeffer, 59, and Pfeffer's daughter Kristy Canduci, 32, both from Palmyra, to see the unfolding wildlife drama.

The bear lay prone. Officers got closer. They took notice of the ear tag. This was a repeat offender; this was the Vineland bear.

Although Tinnes couldn't be certain, she said the Delran bear also may be the bear seen May 21 in Florence.

She's more certain the Delran bear is the one seen this week in Mount Laurel, Westampton, and Maple Shade. On Tuesday, police photographed a bear swimming in Strawbridge Lake in Moorestown and roaming near Moorestown Mall. On Wednesday, a bear was near the Pennsauken Creek, about three miles from where the one was found Thursday morning.

As is typical, the bear had been sticking close to waterways. Though bears have been spotted in every county in the state, this bear generated considerable attention because he traveled a highly populated stretch.

Wildlife workers were waiting for him to find his way back to the forest or to climb a tree so he could be safely tranquilized and taken to the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest in southern Burlington County.

Tinnes said it did not appear the bear, tagged 8082 last year, suffered any injuries in Thursday's fall. Just after 10 a.m., more than 100 spectators cheered as six police officers and two state wildlife officials loaded him into a pickup.

Inevitably in the age of social media, someone had set up a Twitter account (@BlackBearSpoted) and a whimsical Facebook page (daburlcobear) to give the bear voice. By Thursday, he had more than 500 Twitter followers and more than 3,000 Facebook likes.

Crowds gathered at the scene Thursday, many squinting to see the bear through tree leaves.

"Oh, he's so cute," said Elisama Rodrigues, 18, who lives nearby. "I hope they don't do anything to hurt it. He's probably scared. He's probably hungry."

Kelly Schoenholz, 47, said she received a text from her daughter warning that the bear was near their home.

"I feel bad for him," chimed in Amy O'Donnell.

Said Schoenholz: "They need to get him down safely."

Another black bear spotted in Burlington County towns

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20130618/NEWS/306189749

By Danielle Camilli

Posted: Jun 18, 2013

Bear spotted

Residents in at least three Burlington County towns have reported bear sightings since Sunday night, with the last bear spotted in Mansfield on Monday morning.

A black bear was seen in Springfield on Monday and then on Route 537 moving toward Mansfield. A resident there saw the animal in the rural area of Mount Pleasant Road about 9:30 a.m., police said.

The bear continued across the farm fields there, authorities said.

"It's a pretty large land area to cover, with farm fields and some wooded areas," Police Chief Ronald Mulhall said. "It's a big area, with no houses in the immediate vicinity."

As a precaution, the police notified the school district, Mulhall said.

A black bear also was spotted Sunday night in Pemberton Township. There is no way of knowing if it was the same bear from Mansfield and Springfield. Bears are out this time of year looking for food and mates, experts with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection have said.

The Pemberton Township bear was first spotted about 7 p.m. near Burlington County College as it crossed Pemberton-Browns Mill Road, authorities said. What was believed to be the same bear then was seen an hour later near Emmons Dairy on Pointville Road.

Police said they do not think the bear had a tracking device and therefore is not believed to be the 350-pound-plus male bear that was captured in Delran on May 30.

That bear was tranquilized after it was found in a tree in a neighborhood of homes off Route 130. Before its capture, the same bear is believed to have been spotted in Florence, Westampton, Mount Laurel, Moorestown and elsewhere over the course of about a week. Authorities said the bear was to be moved to the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest, which spans Burlington and Ocean counties, including sections of Pemberton Township.

Following are some bear safety tips from the state DEP:

• Never feed or approach a bear;
• Remain calm;

• Make the bear aware of your presence by speaking in an assertive voice, singing, clapping your hands, or making other noises;

• If the bear enters your home, provide it with an escape route by propping all doors open;
• Avoid direct eye contact, which may be perceived by a bear as a challenge. Never run from a bear. Instead, slowly back away;
• Make yourself look as big as possible by waving your arms. If you are with someone else, stand close together with arms raised above your head;
• If a bear stands on its hind legs or moves closer, it may be trying to get a better view or detect scents in the air. It is usually not a threatening behavior;

Immediately notify the DEP's 24-hour, toll-free hotline at 1-877-WARN-DEP (1-877-927-6337).

Danielle Camilli: 609-267-7586; email: dcamilli@phillyburbs.com; Twitter: @bctdanielle

Dietz & Watson still smoking

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20130903/NEWS/309039767

By Lisa Irizarry

Posted: Sep 3, 2013

A hot spot smoldering within the skeletal farmework of the north side of the Dietz & Watson distribution center in Delanco, Monday morning after a multi-alarm fire hit the warehouse section of the property Sunday afternoon. -Nancy Rokos

DELANCO -- Firefighters were continuing to battle a stubborn 11-alarm fire Monday night that started in the roof of a Dietz & Watson distribution center Sunday afternoon and left the interior of the north side of the building resembling the burned-out, twisted wreckage of a Jersey Shore roller coaster ride.

The roof and one wall of that portion of the 300,000-square-foot structure on Coopertown Road had collapsed by early Monday morning and thick, choking gray smoke and black smoke continued to billow from the facility throughout the night on Monday.

For a while it appeared the containment of the fire had gotten a little help from Mother Nature in the form of passing thunderstorms but fire officials said firefighters were still waiting to knock down a smoldering pile of debris at the center of the building that they had been unable to reach.

"It's still not safe to go near it," said Delanco Fire Chief Ron Holt. "It's still flaring up and periodically we've been putting water on it."

Holt said earlier Monday that fire officials were expected to begin their investigation into the cause of the fire but the burning pile was holding things up. "They (the officials) have to pull the (smoldering) stuff out to do the investigation," he added. "There's probably going to be smoke for the better part of tomorrow (Tuesday)."

Meanwhile, testing by the state Department of Environmental Protection found the smoke to be nontoxic. However, Burlington Township residents and others across the river in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, reported seeing large chunks of burned debris turning up in their yards.

"I have some in my front yard and some in my backyard," said Robin Corrington, who lives on Pinewald Lane in Burlington Township. "My house is about eight miles away and there are huge chunks of debris, or ash, that we found that's about the size of my fist."

Residents of the area were advised by phone, Internet and social media messages to continue to keep their windows closed and in Beverly, Delanco and Edgewater Park to cut back on water usage.

"We're asking them to use as minimal (water) as possible," Holt said. "New Jersey American Water is looking to build its storage back up. It should be good by tomorrow (Tuesday) morning."

Tankers provided by fire companies from as far away as New Gretna and Little Egg Harbor Township in Ocean County -- and even the U.S. Air Force -- could be seen all day and into the night Monday extracting water from hyrdrants along Route 130 in nearby Burlington Township to fill 3,000-gallon foldable canvas ponds to replenish the depleted supply for the fire fight.

"We used so much water so fast that the American Water Company couldn't keep up with us," said Holt. He added that in the frenzy of fighting the blaze three firefighters were injured, including him. He was hobbling around the scene Monday on a walking cast after breaking his ankle about 11 p.m. Sunday making his way through the rubble.

Holt said another firefighter also had a minor injury to his foot and the other experienced heat exhaustion.

Continuous line of hose sprawled along the driveway at the southside of the Dietz & Watson distribution center in Delanco as firemen from many counties continue to work onthe fire. -Nancy Rokos

Fire companies from more than 20 municipalities responded to the fire, which broke out about 1:15 p.m. Sunday and could be seen from Pennsylvania. The blaze suspended River Line service for about an hour, and it was not brought under control until about midnight when the roof collapsed and nearly 300 firefighters had been brought in. Holt said solar panels on the roof made their job more difficult. A third shift of responders was due at the scene between 1 and 3 p.m. Monday.

"As soon as it backs down it rises up," Holt said of the pile of embers at the center of the structure. We don't know if it's construction material or refrigeration (area debris) underneath. It's in the warehouse part."

The chief said about 60 to 70 percent of the warehouse area was damaged, though the front of the building remained intact. He said the offices in the structure appeared to be in good shape but fire officials and the owner of the building and a contractor would discuss whether the structure should be razed.

"We couldn't make a roof attack when we first arrived because of the solar panels," Holt explained. "They kept us from going in. With solar panels, even if you shut the power up top all the electricity can kill a guy."

As firefighters waited to try another attack on the smoldering pile around 10:30 a.m. Monday, things had wound down enough that some could finally get a break and have something to eat or drink from food service trucks on the scene. A few of the firefighters had worked for nearly 20 hours.

Robert Rodriguez, a Willingboro resident who was unloading boxes of potato chips and other snacks outside a Salvation Army truck, said he was glad to be able to lend a hand to the firefighters after all they had been through.

"This is actually the (American) Red Cross supporting the Salvation Army," Rodriguez said of the food assistance. "We work hand-in-hand on events like this. We're the disaster response volunteers for Camden and Burlington County." He added, "We got here this morning around 7 a.m. and we have sausage, biscuits, eggs and pancakes."

"They've done an incredible job and many have been here all night," Rodriguez said of the firefighters. "Through food, drink or coffee, we're here to support." He said he also was ready with chilling chairs and misting fans should some of the firefighters become affected by Monday's intense humidity.

Carol Jacobs, a 77-year-old resident of Telford, Pa., is the department chief of North Penn Goodwill Service, based in Souderton, Pa. She was waiting outside of its food truck to lend a helping hand anyway she could.

Inside, a breakfast of egg sandwiches was being prepared for the firefighters, and water, cookies and sandwiches also were available while breakfast was cooking. For lunch, hot dogs, hamburgers and sausage sandwiches were on the menu.

Noting the nonprofit service was not affiliated with Goodwill International Industries Inc., Jacobs said, "We're strictly a canteen for these types of emergencies and we respond anytime we're called."

Lisa Irizarry: 609-871-8054;

email: lirizarry@calkins.com

Walk honors memory of Delran dog lost to criminal act

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20130930/NEWS/309309695

Jeannie O’Sullivan

Posted: Sep 30, 2013

Bacon, left, and Vinny, dachshunds owned by Kenny and Barbara Stahley, of Pemberton Township, rest on Roland Ave in Delran, before the start of the second annual Memorial Walk for Moose, to pay tribute to Sissy Workman's labrador retriever who was stolen by a neighbor, sold, returned to the thief for training and left in a hot car to die. The ordeal gave rise to Moose's Law, which would ban anyone with animal cruelty convictions from working in animal care jobs and owning a pet. -Pete Picknally

DELRAN -- It's been 14 months since Sissy Workman lost her beloved dog Moose to a criminal act.

The township woman's chocolate Labrador retriever went missing in May 2012 and was returned to her, dead, two months later. A neighbor had taken the animal, sold him to a family, trained him for the new owners, and left him in a hot car to die.

Life moves forward after a tragedy, but the stages of grief aren't as predictable. Workman felt a surge of it Sunday during the second annual Memorial Walk for Moose, which benefited the Burlington County Animal Shelter and Burlington County Animal Alliance.

"Today is harder than I thought it would be. You put things behind you and you move on, but today with everybody (offering) condolences and meeting so many people who say they've been following the story, it's bringing out some hidden feelings," said Workman, a wife and mother of three.

The observance unfolded in front of her Roland Street home, where Moose is buried in the backyard.

Sissy Workman (right), of Delran, with her dog Odie, and New Jersey Assemblyman Troy Singleton (D-7th of Palmyra), second from right, join others on North Chester Avenue, near Roland Avenue, in Delran for the second annual Memorial Walk for Moose, to pay tribute to Workman's Labrador retriever who was stolen by a neighbor, sold, returned to the thief for training and left in a hot car to die. The ordeal gave rise to Moose's Law, which would ban anyone with animal cruelty convictions from working in animal care jobs and owning a pet. -Pete Picknally

Dozens of individuals and animal welfare groups gathered to pay homage to Moose's memory. The pet-friendly event drew several four-legged supporters, many outfitted with purses for money collection.

Among the other groups present were Friends of the Burlington County Animal Shelter, the Burlington County SPCA and the Eastampton-based Obedient K-9 Dog Training, which conducted demonstrations.

Dogs from West Jersey Volunteers, a rescue group from Evesham, scampered around, ready to be adopted.

The crowd represented the community that has rallied around the Workman family throughout the whole ordeal. Neighbor and longtime friend Sherry Ekelburg sobbed as she read an emotional poem, written from Moose's point of view, to the audience. Later she admitted it was cathartic.

"That was a weight off my shoulders, even though I started crying even before I read it," said Ekelburg, who launched the website www.justiceformoose.com.

Through the site, Workman and Ekelburg had kept the community abreast of the search for Moose. The blog turned into a condolences page after Workman posted about how a neighbor, Jacqueline Lockard, returned Moose's body with a fictitious story about how she'd found it in a nearby park.

In April, Lockard was barred from ever having contact with domesticated animals in Jersey. She was ordered by a Burlington County Superior Court Judge to serve two years of probation and complete 150 hours of community service.

Brianna Stellwag, left, age 16, and her mom Denise Stellwag, both of Delran, hold their 8-week-old pitbull/mix puppy Rusty, on Roland Ave in Delran, before the start of the second annual Memorial Walk for Moose, to pay tribute to Sissy Workman's labrador retriever who was stolen by a neighbor, sold, returned to the thief for training and left in a hot car to die. The ordeal gave rise to Moose's Law, which would ban anyone with animal cruelty convictions from working in animal care jobs and owning a pet. -Pete Picknally

Lockard, a high school graduate who now lives in Philadelphia, also was ordered to pay more than $1,500 in restitution and an additional $500 in fines as part of a negotiated plea deal on charges of theft and animal cruelty involving Moose and one of her own pets.

The story of Moose reached far beyond the close-knit community near the border of Riverside. Denise Stellwag and her 16-year-old daughter, Brianna, came to the event with their puppy, a pit bull mix named Rusty.

"We just came to offer support," said Stellwag, of Delran.

One silver lining in the Moose tragedy has come in the form of proposed legislation that would bar people convicted of animal cruelty in any state from working in animal care jobs, such as veterinary offices, dog training centers, rescue groups, kennels or groomers, in New Jersey. It also would prohibit people who have been convicted of animal cruelty from owning a pet.

Moose's Law, sponsored by Assemblymen Troy Singleton, D-7th of Palmyra; Herb Conaway, D-7th of Delanco; and John Burzichelli, D-3rd of Paulsboro, was approved by the Assembly in March. Singleton, who attended the walk, said the bill is in Senate committee.

"We are cautiously optimistic that (Gov. Chris Christie) will sign the bill," said Singleton, who said he grew up with pets and found Workman's story compelling.

"She worked with me every step of the way to craft a proposal, move it forward, and was part of the negotiations as we worked through the particular channels to get it done," he said.

Another bright spot in Workman's life is Odie, a black-and-white border collie Labrador mix she adopted last year. Workman said Odie was taken from his mother "way too soon" and was very timid with people in the beginning.

His wagging tail and eager acceptance of treats indicated that his disposition has improved considerably with love from his new family. Workman smiled and shook his paw.

"He's making up for lost time," she said.

Jeannie O'Sullivan: 609-871-8068; email: josullivan@calkins.com; Twitter: @jeannieosulliva

NJ Senate to vote on bill inspired by Delran dog’s death

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20140112/NEWS/301129682

David Levinsky

Posted: Jan 12, 2014

TRENTON -- Legislation inspired by a Burlington County animal cruelty case still has a chance to become law.

The bill, called "Moose's Law" in honor of a Delran family's dead Labrador retriever, is one of several dozen measures scheduled to be voted on by the New Jersey Senate on Monday during its final voting day before the end of the current legislative session.

It would give judges discretion to bar people convicted of animal cruelty in any state from obtaining or owning pets or from working in animal care jobs, such as veterinarian offices, dog training centers, rescue groups, kennels or groomers.

The measure, which is sponsored by Sen. Diane Allen and Assemblymen Herb Conaway and Troy Singleton, was written in response to the 2012 animal cruelty case involving Moose, who went missing May 31 after jumping a fence outside his owner's Delran home. The dog's body was returned more than a month later by Delran resident Jacqueline Lockard, who claimed to have found the family's pet beneath a tank outside the American Legion Post No. 146 in Riverside.

Delran police said an investigation later revealed that Lockard, who was a self-proclaimed dog trainer, found the dog alive shortly after its disappearance and that she had given the animal to a Pennsylvania family who agreed to pay her to train it.

The dog died after Lockard left it inside her car on a hot July afternoon, police said.

Lockard later pleaded guilty to theft and animal cruelty offenses, one related to her failure to provide proper shelter for her own dog. She was sentenced to two years of probation and 150 hours of community service. She was also barred from having contact with domesticated animals in New Jersey.

The bill was approved by the Assembly in March, but it remained stuck before the Senate Economic Growth Committee until Thursday, when the committee met for the final time of the current legislative session and voted to release it to the Senate floor.

A committee voted unanimously despite concerns from the New Jersey Bar Association, which warned that most animal cruelty convictions are not as clearly defined as Moose's death.

"People get the impression all prosecutions by the SPCA rise to that level of horrible and undeniable cruelty," said Gina Calogero, a lawyer who chairs the bar association's animal law committee. "(But) they can be very low-level offenses."

Bills not approved by both the Assembly and Senate by the end of the session Tuesday must be reintroduced and sent back to legislative committees. Allen and Singleton were optimistic about the bill's chances of becoming law.

"Moose's death was a senseless act and a tragedy for his loving owners," said Allen, R-7th of Edgewater Park, on Thursday after the Economic Growth Committee released it. "With this legislation, hopefully Moose's story will now help to protect other pets from handlers or owners who have a propensity for abuse."

Moose's owner, Sissy Workman, was also encouraged after the bill was posted for a vote Monday.

"I'm ecstatic. ... It's been a long emotional year," Workman said Friday after the bill was listed on the Senate's Monday voting schedule. "Hopefully, everything will go perfectly and it will be signed into law."

David Levinsky: 609-871-8154;

email: dlevinsky@calkins.com;

Twitter: @davidlevinsky

Reintroduce Moose’s Law

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20140124/NEWS/301249632

Posted: Jan 24, 2014

Gov. Chris Christie signed more than 100 pieces of legislation into law Wednesday, but we're disappointed that Moose's Law was not one of them.

The bill, written by Assemblyman Troy Singleton, D-7th of Palmyra, would have given judges the option of barring people who have been convicted of animal cruelty in any state from obtaining or owning pets or from working with animals. Sen. Diane Allen, D-7th of Edgewater Park, sponsored the bill in the Senate.

Singleton said he will reintroduce Moose's Law in the next session.

We encourage him to do so.

We find it quite reasonable to restrict people who have been convicted of abusing a defenseless animal from being able to own or care for a pet.

The law was written in response to a 2012 incident of animal cruelty involving Moose, a chocolate Labrador retriever that died while in the custody of an inexperienced dog trainer.

A beloved family pet, Moose went missing after jumping the fence surrounding his owners' yard in Delran. Moose was found by Jacqueline Lockard of Delran, who hid him in her house for nearly a month, and sold him to another family. It was later revealed that she left Moose inside a parked car on a hot July day and then tried to cover up her involvement in the dog's death. Lockard was convicted of theft and animal cruelty charges and sentenced to probation and community service.

Under current law, Lockard can continue to work as a trainer in another state.

Moose's Law would have allowed for the creation of a registry so animal-related businesses could investigate backgrounds and ensure they don't employ animal cruelty offenders.

Moose's Law received bipartisan support and sailed through the Assembly and Senate, but Christie declined to act on it. Unlike a conditional veto, the governor's inaction -- called a pocket veto -- doesn't provide any feedback to the bill's sponsors as to why it wasn't signed.

Singleton declined to speculate on any reasoning behind the bill's failure, but the New Jersey State Bar Association and some pet supply retailers had expressed concerns about the law's ramifications.

We realize that registering offenders and restricting pet ownership may not be warranted in every case of animal cruelty, but leaving it up to a judge could prevent the worst abusers from being in a position to endanger another domestic animal.

Implementation of the law will prevent another family from experiencing a tragedy similar to Moose's.

Again, we urge Singleton to reintroduce the bill the next time the Assembly meets.

Delran police to participate in Cops n’ Lobsters charity

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20140415/NEWS/304159594

Posted: Apr 15, 2014

DELRAN -- The Police Department is holding its annual Cops n' Lobsters fundraiser from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Red Lobster on Route 130.

Officers from the township and several other area forces will assist restaurant employees in serving customers to earn tips for New Jersey's Special Olympics programs.

The event has been held since 1995.

Santa breakfast fundraiser set for Saturday in Delran

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20141211/NEWS/312119601

By Jeannie O’Sullivan

Posted: Dec 11, 2014

DELRAN -- On Saturday, the public is invited to have breakfast with Santa and help needy families at the same time.

The unions representing Burlington County Sheriff's Department officers and the township Police Department are partnering with Delran Fire Company No. 2 to host a meal to benefit local families.

The breakfast, featuring traditional pancakes and photos with St. Nick, will take place from 8 to 11:30 a.m. at the firehouse at 1020 S. Chester Ave. Admission is $5 or a new, unwrapped toy.

The proceeds will benefit the Give A Christmas Fund, co-sponsored by the Burlington County Times and Willingboro Rotary Club, an annual fundraiser that helps county residents who have fallen on hard times.

The breakfast is being organized by Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 166, representing the sheriff's officers; Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 230, which is the police union; and the fire company. The Burlington City police have participated in the past.

In its sixth year, the fundraiser has generated $4,750.

"This year, we are looking to donate over $1,500, along with numerous toys," said event organizer Michael D. Lynch, a member of the sheriff's officers union.

Give a Christmas began in 1968 and to date has raised $2,860,107.67. This year's goal is $105,000.

In 2013, more than 950 families were helped with the money raised through Give A Christmas, with an average assistance of $98.

Jeannie O'Sullivan: 609-267-7586; email: josullivan@calkins.com; Twitter: @MediaJeannie

Delran police seeking department accreditation

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20150304/NEWS/303049672

By David Levinsky

Posted: Mar 4, 2015

DELRAN -- The Police Department is seeking accreditation from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police and is asking the public to comment on Monday.

Accreditation is a voluntary process, but is often a coveted recognition for departments that achieve it, because it requires all aspects of a department's policies, procedures, management, operations and support services to undergo review.

To obtain accreditation, a department must comply with 100 separate standards.

"Accreditation results in greater accountability within the agency, reduced risk and liability exposure, stronger defense against civil lawsuits, increased community advocacy, and more confidence in the agency's ability to operate efficiently and respond to community needs," township Chief Alfonso Parente said.

Public comments to the accreditation assessment team are being accepted by telephone and email. Residents are asked to call 856-461-4498 on Monday between 9 and 11 a.m. Email comments can be sent to hdavenport@delrantownship.org.

Telephone comments are limited to five minutes and should address the agency's ability to comply with accreditation standards. A copy of the standards is available for inspection at the Police Department on Chester Avenue.

Written comments about the department's ability to comply with the standards can also be emailed to Accreditation Program Manager Harry Delgado at hdelgado@njsacop.org or mailed to the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission, 751 Route 73 North, Suite 12, Marlton, N.J. 08053.

David Levinsky: 609-871-8154; email: dlevinsky@calkins.com; Twitter: @davidlevinsky

Fire and Rescue

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20150426/NEWS/304269530

Posted: Apr 26, 2015

Bass River

New Gretna Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, 5 N. Maple Ave.;609-296-4999

Beverly

Beverly City Fire Department, 446 Broad St.; 609-386-0472

Beverly Fire Company No. 1, 440 Laurel St.; 609-387-1478

Hope Hose Company No. 2, 408 Broad St.; 609-387-4878

Bordentown City

Bordentown Fire Department; 609-298-0450

Consolidated Fire Association, 20 Crosswicks St.; 609-298-4761

Hope Hose Humane Co. No. 1, 150 W. Burlington St.; 609-298-0450

Bordentown Township

Mission Fire Company No. 1, 51 Groveville Road; 609-298-0013

Bordentown Township Fire District No. 2, 262 Crosswicks Road; 609-298-8527

Burlington City

Burlington City Fire Department, 525 High St.; 609-386-0626

Mitchell Fire Company No. 3, Federal and Mitchell streets; 609-386-0433

Neptune Hose Company No. 5, Bordentown Road; 609-386-0435

Niagara Hose Company No. 6, Route 130 and High Street; 609-386-0434

Burlington Township

Burlington Township Fire Department, 851 Old York Road; 609-239-5849

Independent Fire Company No. 1, 1601 Burlington Bypass; 609-386-0462

Beverly Road Fire Company, 10001 Beverly Road; 609-386-0595

Relief Fire Company No. 3, 1020 Neck Road; 609-386-2880

Chesterfield

Union Fire Company No. 1, 18 New St.; 609-298-3111

Chesterfield Hose Company, 300 Bordentown- Chesterfield Road; 609-298-1024

Cinnaminson

Cinnaminson Fire Department, 1621 Riverton Road; 856-829-5220

Cinnaminson Fire Station 201, 1725 Cinnaminson Ave.; 856-829-8060

Cinnaminson Fire Station 202, 1900 Taylors Lane; 856-829-8240

Delanco

Washington Fire Co. No. 1, 1800 Burlington Ave.; 856-764-0951

Delran

Delran Fire Department, 900 Chester Ave.; 856-461-5474

Delran Fire Company No. 1, 9 S. Bridgeboro St.; 856-461-4424

Delran Fire Company No. 2, 1020 Chester Ave.; 856-764-9067

Eastampton

Eastampton Fire Company, 788 Smithville Road; 609-267-5224

Eastampton Emergency Squad, 1380 Woodlane Road; 609-267-3850

Evesham

Evesham Fire-Rescue, 984 Tuckerton Road; 856-983-2750

Marlton Fire Company No. 1, 26 E. Main St.; 856-983-2210

Evesham Fire Company, 150 Merchants Way; 856-988-1010

Kettle Run Volunteer Fire Company, 498 Hopewell Road; 856-767-5329

Florence

Florence Fire Department, 401 Firehouse Lane; 609-499-1393

Florence Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, 401 Firehouse Lane; 609-499-1393

Hainesport

Hainesport Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, 106 Broad St.; 609-261-2141

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Fire Department, 87 CES/CEF -- 1712 Fire Lane, McGuire Air Force Base; 609-754-2451

JB MDL Station 1, 305 CES/CEF -- 1712 Fire Lane, McGuire AFB; 609-754-2451

JB MDL Station 2, 1712 Fire Lane, McGuire AFB; 609-754-3145

JB MDL Station 3, Building 5353, Delaware Avenue, Fort Dix; 609-562-2640

JB MDL Station 4, Building 5226, Eighth Street, Fort Dix; 609-562-2611

Lumberton

Lumberton Fire Company No. 1, 561 Main St.; 609-267-1133

Mansfield

Franklin Fire Company, 3135 Route 206; 609-298-5325

Maple Shade

Independent Fire Company No. 1, 53 S. Maple Ave.; 856-779-1335

Medford

Medford Township Division of Fire, 91 Union St.; 609-953-3291

Union Fire Company, 1 Firehouse Lane; 609-654-6650

Taunton Fire Company of Medford, 631B Gravelly Hollow Road; 609-714-0982

Medford Lakes Borough

Medford Lakes Fire Department, 10 Stokes Road; 609-654-8156

Moorestown

Moorestown Fire Department, 261 W. Main St.; 856-234-4193

Hose Company No. 1, 261 W. Main St.; 856-234-5191

Relief Engine Company, 222 Chester Ave.; 856-234-5192

Lenola Fire Company, 229 N. Lenola Road; 856-235-9444

Mount Holly

Mount Holly Fire Department, 17 Pine St.; 609-518-8911

Relief Fire Engine Company No. 1, 17 Pine St.; 609-267-0480

Mount Laurel

Mount Laurel Fire Department, 69 Elbo Lane; 856-234-6053

Mount Laurel Fire Department-Masonville, 105 Masonville Road; 856-778-8240

Mount Laurel Fire Department-Fellowship, 3824 Church Road; 856-235-4393

Mount Laurel Fire Department-Birchfield, 69 Elbo Lane; 856-234-5955

New Hanover

Cookstown Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, 2 Hockamick Road; 609-758-3434

New Jersey Forest Fire Service

Division B Headquarters, P.O. Box 239 -- 103 Shinns Road, Brendan T. Byrne State Forest; 609-726-9010

Section B1 (17, 22, 25, 28, 37, 43), 100 Shawnee Pass, Medford; 609-654-8316

Section B2 (29, 42, 45), 3991 Route 563, Woodland; 609-726-1060

Section B3 (17, 18, 29, 43), 124 Moores Meadow Road, Tabernacle; 609-268-0089

Section B4 (42, Warren Grove, South Ocean County), Tuckerton; 609-828-1540

Section B5 (29 -- Woodmansie Area), 906 Clifton St., Forked River; 609-971-8586

Section B6 (18, 29 Brendan T. Byrne State Forest), 23 Earlin Ave., Pemberton Township; 609-893-8341

Section B9 Coyle Field Aviation and F.E.P.P., Route 72, Woodland; 609-698-0240

North Hanover

Jacobstown Volunteer Fire Company, 86 Chesterfield-Jacobstown Road; 609-758-8177

Palmyra

Palmyra Fire Department, 115 W. Broad St.; 856-829-0020

Pemberton Borough

Goodwill Fire Company No. 1, 200 Hanover St.; 609-894-2168

Pemberton Township

Pemberton Township Volunteer Fire Department, 500 Pemberton-Browns Mills Road; 609-894-3382

Browns Mills Volunteer Fire Company, 15 Trenton Road; 609-893-0044

Country Lakes Volunteer Fire Company, 103 Firehouse Road, Browns Mills; 609-893-3047

Presidential Lakes Fire and Rescue Squad; 609-893-9024

Riverside

Riverside Fire Company No. 1, 4 Scott St.; 856-461-6251

Riverton

Riverton Fire Company, 505 Howard St.; 856-829-2080

Shamong

Indian Mills Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, 48 Willow Grove Road; 609-268-1114

Southampton

Vincent Fire Company No. 1, 16 Race St.; 609-859-3200

Hampton Lakes Volunteer Fire Company, 74 Holly Blvd.; 609-859-2600

Springfield

Juliustown Volunteer Fire Company, 420 Lewistown Road; 609-894-2600

Jacksonville Fire Company, 1793 Jacksonville-Jobstown Road; 609-267-1139

Springfield Township Fire Company, 2193 Jobstown-Jacksonville Road; 609-723-7444

Tabernacle

Medford Farms Volunteer Fire Company, 76 Hawkins Road; 609-268-1020

Washington

Green Bank Volunteer Fire Company, 2426 Route 563; 609-965-4477

Lower Bank Volunteer Fire Company, 5 Firehouse Lane; 609-965-5857

Westampton

Westampton Fire Department and Emergency Unit, 780 Woodlane Road; 609-267-2041

Willingboro

Willingboro Fire Department, 398 Charleston Road; 609-871-7476

Headquarters Station 161, 398 Charleston Road; 609-871-7476

Woodland

Woodland Volunteer Fire and EMS Station 1, 3991 Route 563; 609-726-1516

Woodland Volunteer Fire and EMS Station 2, 13 Locust Trail; 609-893-3690

Wrightstown

Wrightstown Fire Company, 21 Saylors Pond Road; 609-723-8411

Burlington County

Burlington County Fire Coordinators, 1 Academy Drive, P.O. Box 6000, Mount Holly; 609-265-7165

Burlington County EMS Coordinators, 1 Academy Drive, P.O. Box 6000, Mount Holly; 609-265-7165

Burlington County Haz Mat, 1 Academy Drive, P.O. Box 6000, Mount Holly; 609-265-7165

Kevin F. Peak

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20150923/NEWS/309239657

Posted: Sep 23, 2015

Kevin Peak, captain of the Delran Fire Department Captain, is a 2015 Emerging Leader. Photo by William Johnson.

Age: 30

College, if applicable, and degree earned: Pennco Tech; Automotive Engineering and Technology; Associates degree

High school attended: Delran High School

Number of years you lived in Burlington County: 30

Community and/or professional organizations with which you are affiliated: Delran Fire Department; Captain at Station 232 on Chester Avenue in Delran, NJ

How do you define a leader? (What characteristic do you think is common among strong leaders?)

A leader is someone who has a vision of how something should be and motivating others to achieve the vision with him or her. A leader doesn't need to be powerful and demand orders or think that it's an "I only position," but be a team player and work with others; either if it's teaching something new to someone or helping out with a routine task.

Tell us about a fulfilling or meaningful professional accomplishment.

There are plenty of fulfilling and meaningful accomplishments that I have had in the years of volunteering and also in the years of being a leader. I think that the most meaningful one would be my graduation from Fire Fighter 1 class to become an actual certified fire fighter in Burlington County. I felt a great sense of accomplishment in the success of graduating knowing that now I would be able to do more to help my community. A second accomplishment that is very meaningful is the selection of being an Emerging Leader in the Burlington Region. It shows that my leadership and training that I am using to progress not only my career in the volunteer service but others that may look up to me is being reflected back to others as well.

What one person, living or dead, would you want to spend a day with and why?

If I were to spend one day with someone, I believe that I would love to have spent it with my grandfather. My grandfather passed away when I was young so I was never able to actually get the chance to sit down and talk with him and hear old stories from his point of view.

The stories that I have heard from my other family members just makes me believe that he was a great man and had lived a very active life! I am sure that he would be proud of the job that I do and the person that I have become through the years.

Tell us something about you that might surprise your colleagues or friends.

My friends (other than colleagues) I believe will be the most surprised and proud when they hear that I have been selected as an Emerging Leader in the Burlington County.

What do you love about living or working in Burlington County?

What I love about living and volunteering in Burlington County and the town I live in (Delran) is that I am able to give back to the residents through either my teachings or by leading. Being able to help someone that is in need of something big or small any time of the day and night or being able educate the younger children and their families about fire safety or reassuring families about protection makes me feel a great sense of accomplishment not only of myself but the rest of my colleagues; and if it was because of my training that I gave someone to overcome an issue, then it makes me feel even better to know that I was able to lead them to help in that certain situation.

What advice do you have for future leaders in your community or business?

The advice that I would have for anyone who's aspiring to become a leader is to pay attention to your peers and always have an open mind about others input. Don't shut anyone out or make them feel belittled; this will only turn them away bringing morale down in themselves and that would make it harder to become a successful leader. Lead by example and lead by doing; not by demanding.

How would you describe your leadership style?

A description of the leadership style that I express is not being someone who thinks they are at the top of everyone or someone who "knows it all." I believe that leadership begins with your attitude towards others; if you are a negative leader then you will get negative results. Vice versa though, a positive attitude produces positive outcomes, a better workplace and a feeling of accomplishment in not only myself but the others that were effected.

What's the last book you read, movie you watched or television series you followed and what about it interested you?

The last Television Series that interested me the most was the series Night Watch. I believe that it gave the viewer and myself a "first person" view of actual incidents. Police, Fire and EMS were all involved in the episodes and gave a broad outlook of different scenarios and also their plans on how their leaders overcame them.

What goals do you have for yourself?

My goal in the fire service is ultimately to become the best leader that I can possibly be and keep training myself and also to keep training others. The younger generation that comes into the fire house after me is who will be next to lead the company and possibly the department in the future, so I need to be sure that they are lead and trained to the best that they can be.

Any additional information - family, hobbies, obstacles you face or have overcome - that you'd like to tell us about?

Not more a less an obstacle that I had to overcome, but being the only member in my family that aspired to be a fire fighter and progressed to become the leader that I have become places its certain areas of stress to not only make myself proud but my family as well.

Where do you see yourself ten years from now?

In 10 years from now I would hope to still see myself volunteering in this county and serving the town that I live in just like I do today and continuing to lead my fellow members! Its something that I certainly don't see myself getting away from anytime soon.

Kevin Peak, captain of the Delran Fire Department Captain, is a 2015 Emerging Leader. Photo by William Johnson.

Kevin Peak, captain of the Delran Fire Department Captain, is a 2015 Emerging Leader. Photo by William Johnson.

‘Breakfast with Santa’ in Delran to benefit those in need

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20151202/NEWS/312029640

Posted: Dec 2, 2015

DELRAN -- Those who want to help others in need while getting to share a meal with the man of the season can stop by Delran Fire Company No. 2 on Dec. 12.

A 'Breakfast with Santa' sponsored by the Burlington County Sheriff's Department Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 166, the Delran Police Lodge 230, and Delran Fire Company No. 2 will be from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the fire company on Chester Avenue. An area radio station is expected to provide music.

Tickets are $5 per person or a new unwrapped gift. Proceeds will benefit children in need.

The Sheriff's Department is currently operating its 20th annual holiday toy drive. New unwrapped gifts donated will be sent to area social service organizations to be given to children in need. For information or drop off locations, visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/130/Sheriffs-Department or call 609-265-3788.

Rose Krebs: 609-267-7586; email: rkrebs@calkins.com; Twitter: @rosekrebs

Delran Emergency Squad members charged with filing false tax returns

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20160309/news/303099723

By David Levinsky

Posted: Mar 9, 2016

(File) Donald Horner, chief of the Delran Emergency Squad, was arrested last week on charges of filing false tax returns and failing to pay income taxes.

DELRAN -- Donald Horner, the longtime chief of the Delran Emergency Squad and the former chief of police in neighboring Riverside, was arrested last week, along with his wife and daughter, on charges that the three filed false tax returns in 2010 through 2014, authorities said Wednesday.

Horner, 64, of Cinnaminson, and his wife, Denise, 44, were charged with filing fraudulent tax returns and failure to pay income taxes based on $178,890 in unreported income during the years 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office reported.

The couple failed to report $50,350 in income in 2010, $46,150 in 2011, $44,415 in 2012 and $37,975 in 2013.

Horner's daughter, Diana Horner, 31, of Delran, was charged with filing fraudulent tax returns for $3,850 in total unreported income during the same years, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

Denise and Diana Horner are also members of the emergency squad, according to the nonprofit's website.

All three suspects were arrested Thursday following an investigation by the Prosecutor's Office. They were released later that day on their own recognizance.

Further details about the investigation were not released. A spokesman for the Prosecutor's Office said those details remain under a court seal.

Filing fraudulent returns and failing to pay income taxes are third-degree crimes punishable by between three and five years in prison.

Donald Horner has over 48 years of service with the emergency squad and has served as its captain or chief since 1974. He also formed the Delran Emergency Medical Technician Training Program and was a past county deputy EMS coordinator.

In 2007, he was one of eight officials recognized by the county for their lifetime achievement to the fire and emergency medical communities.

Denise Horner has served on the squad for 22 years and is currently a lieutenant, according to the squad's website.

The couple are full-time officers with the emergency squad, which receives no funding from the township government or fire district.

The squad reported $878,215 in revenue in 2013, mostly from fees for ambulance service, according to the organization's Form 990 filed with the Internal Revenue Service.

Donald Horner received $52,780 in compensation from the squad in 2013, according to the document.

He was also a former Riverside police officer and served as the department's chief from 1995 until his retirement from law enforcement in 2005. He served as acting chief for several months in 1992.

Horner receives a monthly $4,899 pension from his police service, according to state Department of Treasury records.

The Burlington County Times was unable to reach the president of the emergency squad to comment on the charges or the status of the Horners' employment.

Attempts to reach the Horners or an attorney representing them was also unsuccessful.

David Levinsky: 609-871-8154; email: dlevinsky@calkins.com; Twitter: @davidlevinsky

At least 12 families displaced in Delran fire

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20160420/NEWS/304209694

By Kelly Kultys

Posted: Apr 20, 2016

Crews from about a half dozen Burlington County towns fight a two-alarm fire at the Hunters Glen apartments off Route 130 in Delran on Wednesday, April 20, 2016. Contributed

DELRAN At least 12 township families, including more than 20 people, were displaced in a Wednesday morning fire at the Hunters Glen apartments off Route 130, officials said.

Delran Fire Chief Joseph Cunningham said in total eight units in the large complex sustained heavy damage in the two-alarm blaze that brought more than a half dozen fire crews to the scene.

Two of the families had students at the township schools and officials there are working to support them and heading up relief efforts, officials said.

"Today our goal today was to get the kids home safely and help break the news to them," Delran High School Principal Dan Finkle.

Firefighters were first dispatched at 8:34 a.m. Wednesday to Building 51 in the large complex. By 8:45 a.m., a second alarm was called with fire through the roof, impacting several apartment units, according to an emergency official.

Aerial view of a two-alarm fire at the Hunters Glen apartments off Route 130 in Delran, April 20, 2016.
Photo courtesy CBS3, Philadelphia

Cunningham said the cause and the origin of the fire are still under investigation.

The fire was placed under control at 9:42 a.m. The fire was contained to the building where it started, officials said.

One firefighter was treated at the hospital and released. A resident was also treated, but Cunningham did not know if the person had been released by Wednesday afternoon.

Management at the apartments said they were relocating residents.

Crews from throughout Burlington County, including Delran, Burlington Township, Westampton, Riverside, Cinnaminson, Delanco, Willingboro and Mount Laurel all assisted.

The American Red Cross in New Jersey is assisting nine families who were displaced in the fire, officials said.

Twenty-one people in nine families received Red Cross emergency assistance for temporary lodging, food, clothing as needed, as well as comfort kits containing personal care items.

Officials said volunteers of the nonprofit remain available to the families for support, counseling and referrals to local agencies that may provide long-term assistance during their recovery.

All emergency assistance is free to those affected by disasters and is made possible through the donation of time by dedicated Red Cross volunteers and the generosity of the American public.

Finkle said the PTAs at Delran High and Middle schools donated gift cards Wednesday so the families affected can have dinner at a restaurant in town, he said.

The student governments at both schools will be working to put together a drive to help the families.

Delran Fire Department receives federal grant

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20160519/NEWS/305199643

By Joe Green

Posted: May 19, 2016

(File) A member of the Delran Fire Department places cones at the intersection of Main Street at the RiverLine crossing where an accident occured between a train and two cars in 2013. -Dennis Mc Donald

DELRAN -- The Fire Department has received more than $225,000 in federal grant funding for safety and operations improvements.

Delran was one of four New Jersey fire departments to receive a total of more than $1 million in federal Assistance to Firefighters Grants, announced Wednesday by Sens. Robert Menendez and Cory Booker, both Democrats from New Jersey.

Delran's share came to $228,705.

The money will be used to buy turnout gear -- the fire-resistant and protective equipment firefighters wear on scenes -- as well as self-contained breathing apparatus, which consists of air tanks and the harnesses in which firefighters wear them on their backs, fire Chief Joseph Cunningham said.

"On behalf of myself, the Fire Department and the residents of Delran, we want to thank Sens. Booker and Menendez, along with Congressman (Tom) MacArthur (R-3rd of Toms River) for their support," Cunningham said.

New Jersey's senators lauded the grants as a crucial boost for communities facing slim budgets. They include Atlantic City, whose department received $185,651 in AFG funds.

"This federal funding comes at a critical time when Atlantic City is dealing with extraordinary fiscal circumstances, and will help ensure our firefighters are properly equipped with the tools they need to protect both themselves and the community they serve," Menendez said.

"There is no more selfless job than that of a firefighter, and investing in them is an investment in our own safety and the safety of our families."

The other departments receiving AFG funds are Berlin in Camden County ($279,762) and Bloomfield in Essex County ($362,728).

The AFG program is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, under the Department of Homeland Security. New Jersey agencies have received more than $160 million from the program since its start in 2001.

Joe Green: 609-871-8064; email: jgreen@calkins.com; Twitter: @JoeGreenBCT

Dodgeball fundraiser returns to Delran High School

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20171031/dodgeball-fundraiser-returns-to-delran-high-school

Posted: Oct 31, 2017

DELRAN — More than a dozen teams of police officers and firefighters from Burlington County as well as teachers will take part in the "Police vs. Fire Dodgeball Throwdown" at Delran Middle School on Chester Avenue on Saturday, Nov 11.

The competition will be hosted by WPST-FM (94.5) and will feature a visit from the Phillie Phanatic.

All proceeds will benefit families during the holiday season. Last year's event raised $5,000.

The games start at 7 p.m.; the doors open at 6:30.

The following teams are competing: Beverly Fire Department, Delran Fire Department, Delran Fraternal Order of Police 230, Delran High School teachers, Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia, Hampton Lakes Volunteer Fire Department in Southampton, Hainesport Fire Department, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst members, Plainsboro Police Benevolent Association, Riverside Fire Department, Riverside Police Department, Tabernacle Rescue Squad, Westampton FOP Lodge 147 and WPST crew.

Tickets are $5, $3 for seniors. Kids under age 2 are free.

Burlington County first responders showed ‘heroic efforts’ in recent rescue attempts

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20180122/burlington-county-first-responders-showed-heroic-efforts-in-recent-rescue-attempts

By Todd McHale

Posted: Jan 22, 2018

WILLINGBORO — The police officers first on the scene of a crash knew they needed to act — a minivan had come to rest in the icy waters of Olympia Lakes off Route 130.

The four officers from Delran and Edgewater Park didn’t hesitate.

With no protective gear from the cold water, Delran Police officers Scott Waznis and Steve Wallis and Edgewater Park Police officers Mark Herkoperec and Scott Ewan jumped into the freezing lake to try and save the occupants of the van.

“Who else was gonna do it?" Waznis said of himself and fellow officers who were among the first to arrive at the scene of the accident at the jughandle of Route 130 and Bridgeboro Road. “That’s what we do. We protect people.”

The minivan had careened over the guardrail and gone down the steep embankment before coming to a stop in the water upside down.

“We knew we needed to get to the vehicle fast and help the occupants,” said Waznis, who was enlisted to speak for his fellow lawmen.

“We waded into the water about waist to chest deep and repeatedly tried to break out the vehicle's passenger side window with our hands and feet with negative results,” Waznis said. “We had other officers, who were standing on the embankment, hand us tool after tool to try and breach the windows of the vehicle.”

Even after repeated attempts the officers could not get in since the vehicle was completely submerged in the frigid water and sitting in deep thick mud.

The effort continued for about 15 minutes until Willingboro firefighters arrived with cold water safety suits on to take over the rescue. They too were unable to get in until a cable was attached to the minivan and were able to get a cutting tool to crack open vehicle and pull out occupants, Robert Stephens, 52, and his wife Janet, 50, of Burlington Township.

Despite the life-saving efforts the couple did not survive and were pronounced dead at Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County in Willingboro on Jan. 13.

Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina lauded the efforts of first responders to the incident and also those who responded the next day when a car plunged into the ice-filled Delaware River in Burlington City, killing the passenger. The driver as has been charged in that incident.

"Although sadly the victims in the traffic accidents were unable to be saved this does not diminish the heroic efforts of our first responders — some of whom dove into sub-freezing waters — to try to rescue them," Coffina said in a statement. 

He reminded the public that law enforcement "put in long hours to investigate these incidents to ensure that the public is safe and that justice will be done."

"We deeply appreciate your efforts and your bravery on our county's behalf," Coffina said.

The driver in the Burlington City crash, who fled the scene leaving the victim in the car, has been charged in the incident.

Thecrash in Willingboro is also being investigated by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and the Willingboro Township Police Department and will include results of toxicology tests conducted on blood drawn on the driver of the other vehicle Amish Patel, 29, of Delanco, that hit  the minivan.

While the officers would have liked to have seen a better ending to the rescue attempt they all would do it again if called on to do so.

“We do it because it’s in our blood,” Waznis said. “We live to help people. We’re protectors. There’s no better feeling an officer can have than to know he truly helped someone, whether it be something life threatening or something minor.”

Delran Emergency Squad license suspended due to multiple violations

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20180710/delran-emergency-squad-license-suspended-due-to-multiple-violations

By Danielle DeSisto

Posted: Jul 10, 2018

The Delran Emergency Squad’s license to operate was suspended by the New Jersey Department of Health on Monday due to multiple violations.

DELRAN — The Delran Emergency Squad’s license to operate was summarily suspended by the New Jersey Department of Health on Monday due to multiple violations, including operating vehicles with uncertified staff, altering patient care reports and hindering an audit investigation.

In a suspension letter, the department described the squad's actions as “an immediate and serious threat to the health, safety and welfare of the public.” An investigation is ongoing, and may result in monetary penalties and/or the revocation of DES’ license.

As of Monday, emergency squads from Moorestown, Lumberton, Palmyra and Endeavor in Burlington Township were providing coverage in Delran, depending on call volume, according to the Department of Health. The agency is working with municipal and county officials to secure long-term coverage. There was no disruption in service to the public.

"The township is continuing to work on this situation to ensure residents are protected while the Delran/Riverside Emergency Squad works to have their licensing restored," said Delran business administrator Jeffrey Hatcher.

This news organization was unsuccessful in its attempts to reach Delran Mayor Ken Paris and DES Chief Donald Horner for comment.

On June 11, the DOH’s Office of Emergency Medical Services was notified that Horner was working on an ambulance without a valid EMT certification. A subsequent investigation revealed Horner’s EMT certification expired on Dec. 31, 2010, and EMT instructor certification expired on Dec. 31, 2016, though he remained chief of the agency.

Investigators attempted to conduct an audit of DES on June 13, but could not complete their work because Horner became “verbally abusive against the officers," according to the Department of Health. Horner warned them to leave before he killed himself or "killed you, meaning the investigators," the suspension letter read.

When investigators tried to leave, saying they would come back another time, Horner followed them out, at one point coming "nose-to-nose with one of the investigators," the letter continued.

“Despite the fact that a licensed BLS (basic life support) agency is required, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 8:40-2.6, to permit OEMS investigators unfettered access to its files and submit to its investigations, you deliberately hindered their audit investigation. In fact, you were belligerent, combative, and uncooperative,” the letter read in reference to Horner, who was formerly chief of police in Riverside from 1995 until his retirement from law enforcement in 2005.

The following day, investigators returned with assistance from Delran Police Department. They requested to see patient care records, as entitled under state law, but were denied and advised to contact DES’ counsel to gain access, according to the Department of Health. The attorney told them to contact an IT specialist, who informed investigators access was restricted.

Officials reached out to DES President Josephine Hubbs, who said she had restricted access due to concerns over the integrity of the data. After learning she would be hindering OEMS’ investigation, she agreed to allow access to the documents, according to DOH.

A review of patient care records revealed DES was in violation of minimum crew requirements under New Jersey State Law. Ambulances must be staffed with two certified EMTs. Horner worked on an ambulance as a second EMT at least 27 times since January 2017, even though he wasn’t certified to act as an EMT. Activity logs for the charts indicate Horner removed his name for the patient care report and replaced it with currently certified personnel, according to DOH.

Investigators requested access to other documentation, such as training curriculum and training fund forms, but were refused.

“In the present matter, DES is hindering OEMS’ audit investigation by threatening investigators working in their official capacity and restricting OEMS’ access to its records, altering patient care reports and utilizing uncertified crew members on its ambulances,” the suspension letter read.

Delran Emergency Squad was founded in 1939, according to its website. The squad includes volunteer members and paid staff for daytime services. It also serves as a statewide training facility.

From January to April of this year, DES responded to 1,529 calls. It responded to 4,918 calls in 2017.

Delran police welcome feedback to receive chiefs association re-accreditation

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20180718/delran-police-welcome-feedback-to-receive-chiefs-association-re-accreditation

By Danielle DeSisto

Posted: Jul 18, 2018

[FILE] The exterior of the Delran Municipal Center in 2011.
[NANCY ROKOS / STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST]

The Delran Police Department is seeking re-accreditation from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, and the public is invited to give feedback on the force’s performance as part of the process.

DELRAN — The Delran Police Department is seeking re-accreditation from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, and the public is invited to give feedback on the force’s performance as part of the process.

Accreditation is a “highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence,” which results in “greater accountability within the agency, reduced risk and liability exposure, stronger defense against civil lawsuits, increased community advocacy, and more confidence in the agency’s ability to operate efficiently and respond to the community’s needs,” according to Chief Alfonso Parente.

Accreditation is valid for three years, and agencies must submit annual proof of compliance with NJSACOP standards.

An assessment team from NJSACOP will visit the Police Department on Sunday to interview agency members, review documents, visit offices and examine policies and procedures to determine if the force continues to meet accreditation standards.

The team also will accept comments from the public via phone or email. Phone calls are limited to five minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with NJSACOP standards. A copy of requirements is available to be viewed at the police station on Chester Avenue.

To offer feedback, call Accreditation Manager Lt. James Mitchell at 856-461-4498 or email Program Director Harry Delgado at hdelgado@njsacop.org.

If selected for re-accreditation, Delran Police would remain alongside Burlington County law enforcement in Edgewater Park, Evesham, Medford, Mount Laurel, Pemberton Township and Willingboro in receiving the distinction, according to the most recent available NJSACOP documents.

For information, visit njsacop.org.

Burlington County towns celebrate National Night Out

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20180807/burlington-county-towns-celebrate-national-night-out

By Lauren Purnell

Posted: Aug 7, 2018

Gabe Anderson, 3, of Delran, waves to his family from inside a Delran fire truck. It was Delran's first time participating in National Night Out.
[NANCY ROKOS / STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST]

Neighbors and officers alike took part in a slew of activities that lasted throughout the night, which is held on the first Tuesday in August across the county.

Towns across Burlington County celebrated National Night Out and thousands of neighbors took part in the festivities Tuesday night.

Delran joined the event this year and held its inaugural Delran Night Out in honor of the community-building campaign that brings residents and local police together.

Nour Elsayed, 10, of Delran, hugs Delran police Officer Robert Fisher.
[NANCY ROKOS / STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST]

Held on the first Tuesday in August across the county since 1984, the program is designed to enhance the relationship between residents and law enforcement and bring back a sense of community, according to natw.org.

“It’s good for the community, it brings us together to enjoy each other and spend time together,” Delran resident Maria Czum said.

Delran's National Night Out included face painting, and Jesse Rivera, 4, of Delran, chose a butterfly.
[NANCY ROKOS / STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST]

Of all the events, Czum's daughter, Mila, had a clear favorite: “face painting!”

While teens posed for quirky pictures with the Chick-Fil-A cow, children bounced between inflatable castles as their parents mingled nearby with balloon animals in tow.

Crunch Fitness employees demonstrate the Step 360 during the Delran National Night Out.
[NANCY ROKOS / STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST]

Residents were especially excited for the groundbreaking of Jake’s Place, an inclusive state-of-the-art playground with a South Jersey theme complete with a Jersey Turnpike that will be unveiled in October. Build Jake’s Place received a Green Acres $200,000 grant from the township and the remaining $425,000 was raised by the community. 

The nonprofit is inspired by the memory of 2½-year-old Jacob Myles Cummings-Nasto, who was born with half of a heart. He used playground time as physical therapy after open heart surgeries, but was often unable to use most of the equipment.

“It’s going to be a great benefit for Delran because in all of South Jersey, according to the New Jersey census, one out of 10 families is affected by a disability," said Jim Cummings, Jacob's grandfather. "In most cases children that have disabilities go to special classes and they’re often segregated. In some cases, you’ll find parents that have disabilities and they can’t take their children to a playground. Jake’s Place will solve that in both cases.”

It was the children's turn to break ground for Jake's Place, an inclusive state-of-the-art playground, during the Delran National Night Out on Tuesday at the Delran Community Park.
[NANCY ROKOS / STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST]

Unlike your typical groundbreaking, the children were the ones wielding the shovels, representing the thousands of children of all abilities that will soon be able to play on the playground.

The rest of the evening featured live music by the Legacy Band, mechanical bull rides, and the chance to explore public safety vehicles such as police cruisers and fire trucks where children extinguished pretend fires with a real fire hose.

Laila Boston, 5, of Delran, sprays water from a fire hose with the help of Delran firefighter and EMT Kait Gunson.
[NANCY ROKOS / STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST]

“It’s just important to have the community see the police at a different angle then maybe at a car stop,” Delran police Detective Frederick Irons said. “(I hope) that they will have an understanding that we are about the community, and for the kids to see the police in a more positive light than they may have seen otherwise.”

Emanuel Pereria, 7, of Delran, gets a tour of a police car by Delran police Officer Nick Araco.
[NANCY ROKOS / STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST]

In Westampton, the event draws around 5,000 annually, making it one of the largest National Night Out crowds in the county, according to Westampton police Sgt. Andrew Brewer.

Children were blown away when an Army National Guard helicopter landed on site during the celebration.

Residents of all ages watched live law enforcement K-9 demonstrations, tried on SWAT team and firefighter gear and met crime scene investigators and Westampton police officers.

Gianna Martinez, 6, of Delran, wears her souvenir Delran Police Department bag.
[NANCY ROKOS / STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST]

Officers roamed around, greeting and giving high-fives to residents. The night ended with a spectacular firework show, capping the township’s fifth annual event with a bang.

But the fun was not exclusive to Delran and Westampton, as several other towns in the county held events this week.

“What’s most important with having this event, and being involved and interacting with the community that come out, is having that bond and the perception that people have when they see a police officer and realize that we’re ordinary people, and that we care about them,” Brewer said.

Delran contracting with Moorestown, Palmyra squads for EMS coverage

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20180815/delran-contracting-with-moorestown-palmyra-squads-for-ems-coverage

By David Levinsky

Posted: Aug 15, 2018

The Delran Council voted unanimously Tuesday to name the Moorestown First Aid and Emergency Squad and the Palmyra Ambulance Association as its day and nighttime providers of emergency medical service coverage in the township.

DELRAN — Emergency squads from Moorestown and Palmyra will continue to provide 24-hour coverage for the township and neighboring Riverside following the state’s move last month to suspend the Delran Emergency Squad’s license to operate.

The Township Council voted unanimously Tuesday to name the Moorestown First Aid and Emergency Squad and the Palmyra Ambulance Association as its day and nighttime providers of emergency medical service coverage in the township. Both squads have been providing coverage in the town since July 9, when municipal officials were first notified that the Delran squad’s license was suspended.

The council also voted Tuesday to approve an emergency appropriation to pay for the emergency service.

Delran Council President Gary Catrambone said Moorestown and Palmyra squads will each receive $3,000 a week from Delran and Riverside to staff an ambulance in the township to respond to medical emergencies in both towns. Delran is expected to pay for 65 percent of the fee based on its emergency call volume and Riverside will pay the remaining 35 percent.

From January to April of this year, the Delran squad responded to 1,529 calls. It responded to 4,918 calls in 2017, according to information posted on its website.

Both towns are expected to be reimbursed some or all of the money depending on how much each squad collects from billing patients transported from within their borders, Catrambone said.

The contract is considered a temporary arrangement until the status of the Delran Emergency Squad is resolved.

The squad’s license to operate was suspended by the New Jersey Department of Health last month. In a suspension letter, the department cited multiple violations, including operating vehicles with uncertified staff, altering patient care reports and hindering an audit investigation.

The Department of Health confirmed Wednesday that the squad has filed a formal appeal and hearing on its suspension. However, details about the appeal were not available.

The case has not yet been assigned to an administrative law judge, according to officials at the Office of Administrative Law, which typically would hear a dispute involving regulatory actions by a state department.

In its suspension letter, the Department of Health alleged that the emergency squad violated a state requirement that ambulances be staffed with two certified emergency medical technicians and that the squad’s chief, Donald Horner, threatened investigators who were seeking records as part of an audit of the squad operations.

According to the Department of Health, the investigation began in June after department officials were notified that Horner was suspected of working on ambulances without valid EMT certification.

Horner’s EMT certification expired at the end of December 2010 and the instructor certification expired at the end of December 2016, according to the Department of Health.

The chief still worked on an ambulance as a second EMT at least 27 times since January 2017, the department said, adding that he is also alleged to have removed his name from patient care records and replaced it with names of certified personnel.

Delran Emergency Squad asks state to end suspension quickly

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20180816/delran-emergency-squad-asks-state-to-end-suspension-quickly

By David Levinsky

Posted: Aug 16, 2018

The emergency squad is asking for a fast hearing on its appeal of the state Department of Health imposed suspension, arguing that the state’s action is causing irreparable harm to the Delran and Riverside communities it has served and that several of its members are facing financial hardships.

DELRAN — The Delran Emergency Squad is making a case that the resignation of its chief should bring about a quick end to the state’s suspension of its license to operate.

The emergency squad is asking for a fast hearing on its appeal of the state Department of Health imposed suspension, arguing that the state’s action is causing irreparable harm to the Delran and Riverside communities it has served and that several of its members are facing financial hardships. It also makes the case that the suspension is the result of the actions of its former chief, Donald Horner, who is no longer an officer or member of the nonprofit.

“The Notice of Summary Suspension exclusively speaks to the actions of the former Chief Donald Horner, rather than the organization as a whole,” the squad’s attorney Alexandra Stulpin, of the Comegno Law Group, wrote in an Aug. 8 letter to the Department of Health to formally contest the suspension.

“The actions of one, who notably is no longer affiliated or employed with (Delran Emergency Squad), should not irreparably harm the Delran community or other members of the (emergency squad) organization.” Stulpin wrote.

The squad's letter was released by the Department of Health on Thursday, two days after the township Council voted to contract with the Moorestown First Aid and Emergency Squad and the Palmyra Ambulance Association to temporarily provide emergency medical service in the town until the future of the Delran squad is determined.

The Delran squad’s license to operate was suspended by the Department of Health on July 9 due to multiple alleged violations, including operating vehicles with uncertified staff, altering patient care reports and hindering an audit investigation.

In its suspension letter, the Department of Health alleged that the emergency squad violated a state requirement that ambulances be staffed with two certified emergency medical technicians and that Horner had threatened investigators who were seeking records as part of an audit of the squad operations.

According to the Department of Health, the investigation began in June after department officials were notified that Horner was suspected of working on ambulances without valid EMT certification.

Horner’s EMT certification expired at the end of December 2010 and the instructor certification expired at the end of December 2016, according to the Department of Health.

The chief still worked on an ambulance as a second EMT at least 27 times since January 2017, the department said, adding that he is also alleged to have removed his name from patient care records and replaced it with names of certified personnel.

In its appeal letter, the squad’s attorney noted that Horner resigned from the emergency squad on June 29, five days after the squad had suspended him without pay after being notified of the ongoing investigations by the Department of Health and the Board of Ambulance Commissioners into “charting inconsistencies.”

Horner was paid $53,102 by the squad in 2016 for his role as commissioner, according to information filed by the nonprofit with the IRS. More recent information about his pay was not available.

In his resignation letter, which was submitted with the squad’s appeal, Horner wished the squad’s members a “safe and prosperous future.” He did not mention his suspension from the squad or the ongoing investigations.

“After 51 years serving the Delran community and 44 years as Captain/Chief, I find it the right time to continue on with my future,” Horner wrote. “I have enjoyed working with everyone past (and) present, and I wish you all a safe and prosperous future.”

Horner could not be reached for comment on Thursday.

In the appeal letter, Stulpin said the squad would reserve all rights to defend against the Department of Health’s allegations, but she stressed that the actions described in the suspension letter reflected the conduct of the former chief and not the entire squad.

“Comparatively, the other members of (Delran Emergency Squad) has acted prudently and expeditiously to comply and cooperate with the Department of Health's ongoing investigation,” she wrote. “This investigation is a result of the misguided actions of one, rather than the DES organization as a whole.”

Stulpin’s letter also cited the harm the suspension poses to the communities of Delran and Riverside, arguing that the squads from neighboring communities cannot continue to provide adequate emergency services for both towns in perpetuity.

Several paid members of the squad also face financial hardships due to the suspension, she wrote, citing examples of two paid members who are expecting a second child in September and rely on the squad for health insurance coverage.

Two other paid members indicated they might be forced to move from their homes due to the loss of income if the squad’s suspension is not lifted.

The squad’s appeal is expected to be heard by an administrative law judge, but has not yet been assigned, according to officials at the Office of Administrative Law.

Former Delran EMS chief charged with multiple violations

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20181023/former-delran-ems-chief-charged-with-multiple-violations

By Danielle DeSisto

Posted: Oct 23, 2018

Donald Horner, former chief of Delran Emergency Squad was charged Tuesday for multiple violations.
[COURTESY OF BURLINGTON COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE]

The former chief of Delran Emergency Squad was arrested Tuesday on insurance fraud, working without an active Emergency Medical Technician certification, and altering patient care records, among other charges.

DELRAN — The former chief of Delran Emergency Squad was arrested Tuesday on insurance fraud, working without an active Emergency Medical Technician certification, and altering patient care records, among other charges, the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said.

Donald Horner, 66, resigned shortly after the squad’s license to operate was suspended by the Department of Health on July 9 due to multiple alleged violations, including operating vehicles with uncertified staff and hindering an audit investigation.

In its suspension letter, the Department of Health alleged that the emergency squad violated a state requirement that ambulances be staffed with two certified emergency medical technicians, and that Horner had threatened investigators who were seeking records as part of an audit of the squad operations.

An investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office revealed Horner’s EMT certification expired Dec. 31, 2016. He was found to have altered records 27 times as a crew member to hide that an uncertified EMT had participated in the transports, which would have disqualified the squad from billing for those services.

Horner was charged with insurance fraud, computer criminal activity, tampering with witnesses, terroristic threats, theft by deception, attempted theft by deception, hindering apprehension, tampering with public records, alteration of medical records, tampering with records, and obstructing the administration of the law.

Horner appeared in Burlington County Superior Court in Mount Holly on Tuesday and was ordered to surrender his passport and firearms.

If convicted of insurance fraud — the most serious charge — Horner could face up to five years of jail time.

The squad has petitioned the Department of Health to have its license restored. In the meantime, Delran is contracting with Moorestown First Aid and Emergency Squad and Palmyra Ambulance Association for 24-hour emergency services.

From January to April of this year, the Delran squad responded to 1,529 calls. It responded to 4,918 calls in 2017, according to information posted on its website.

Sheriff’s Department collecting toys for children in need

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20181126/sheriffs-department-collecting-toys-for-children-in-need

By Danielle DeSisto

Posted: Nov 26, 2018

The Burlington County Sheriff’s Department is once again collecting toys for children in need this holiday season at 49 drop-off locations across the county.

The Burlington County Sheriff’s Department is once again collecting toys for children in need this holiday season at 49 drop-off locations across the the county.

The 23rd annual drive will benefit local agencies like the Division of Child Protection and Permanency, Oaks Integrated Care in Mount Holly, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton, Christian Caring Center in Pemberton Township, Providence House, Sisterhood in Burlington City, Servicios Latinos de Burlington County, Foster and Adoptive Family Services of Princeton, and House of God in Delran. Organizations will distribute the toys to local children.

The collection will run through Dec. 16. Last year, about 1,200 toys were collected.

“The holidays are a special time for everyone, and through the generosity of all of our volunteers and the community, we can make it a joyous time for those less fortunate,” Burlington County Sheriff Jean Stanfield said. “It has been incredible to witness the county come together year after year and make this all possible.”

Questions may be directed to the Sheriff Department’s Community Services Unit at 609-265-3788. Drop-off locations are as follows:

Beverly City Municipal Building: 446 Broad St.

Bordentown City Municipal Building: 324 Farnsworth Ave.

Bordentown Township Municipal Building: 1 Municipal Drive

Boscov’s: Moorestown Mall on Route 38

Boy Scouts of America: 693 Rancocas Road, Westampton

Burlington City Police Department: 525 High St.

Burlington County Administration Building: 49 Rancocas Road, Mount Holly

Burlington County Central Communications: 1 Academy Drive, Westampton

Burlington County County Corner: Moorestown Mall on Route 38

Burlington County Freeholder’s Office: 1st Floor, 49 Rancocas Road, Mount Holly

Burlington County Health Department: 15 Pioneer Blvd., Westampton

Burlington County Human Services: 795 Woodlane Road,Westampton

Burlington County Prosecutor's Office: 49 Rancocas Road, Mount Holly

Burlington County Special Services School: 20 Pioneer Blvd., Westampton

Burlington Township Fire Department: 1601 Burlington Bypass

Burlington Township Police Department: 851 York Road

Cinnaminson Library: 1619 Riverton Road, Cinnaminson

Cinnaminson Police Department: 900 Manor Road

Delanco Municipal Building: 770 Coopertown Road

Delran Municipal Building: 900 S. Chester Ave.

Dodge City: 4395 Route 130 South, Burlington

Eastampton Police Department: 725 Smithville Road

Florence Fire Department: 401 Firehouse Lane

Goddard School — Westampton: 881 Woodlane Road

Greenbriar Horizon: 2174 Old York Road, Florence

Hainesport Post Office: 107 Broad St.

Holiday Village: 1 Holiday Blvd., Mount Laurel

Jacob Foot & Ankle Associates: 319 W. Broad St., Burlington

Leisuretown: 102 South Plymouth Court, Southampton

Leisuretown — Settlers Hall: 106 South Plymouth Court, Southampton

Leisuretown — Laurel Hall: 236 Huntington Drive, Southampton

Mount Laurel Senior Center: Walt Whitman Boulevard (Behind police department)

Mount Laurel M.U.A.: 1201 S. Church St.

Mount Laurel Police Department: 100 Mount Laurel Road

Pemberton Borough Municipal Building: 50 Egbert St.

Pemberton Township Municipal: 500 Pemberton-Browns Mills Road

Prospector's Bar & Grill: Route 38 and Ark Road, Mount Laurel

Red Balloon: 41 St. Mihiel Drive, Delran

RE/MAX: 2835 Route 206, Mansfield

Rowan College at Burlington County Mount Holly Campus: 1 High St.

Rowan College at Burlington County Willingboro Campus: 200 Campbell Drive, Suite 210

Shamong Municipal Building: 105 Willow Grove Road

Smithville Mansion: 803 Smithville Road, Eastampton

Southampton Municipal Building: 5 Retreat Road

Tabernacle Elementary School: 132 New Road

Tabernacle Municipal Building: 163 Carranza Road

Vincentown Post Office: 1813 Route 206, Southampton

Wee-Kids Learning Center: 1299 Route 38 West, Hainesport

Westampton Fire Department, 780 Woodlane Road

Westampton Library: 5 Pioneer Blvd., Westampton

Westampton Police Department: 710 Rancocas Road

Girl injured in fire at Delran apartment, pizza shop

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20190226/girl-injured-in-fire-at-delran-apartment-pizza-shop

By David Levinsky

Posted: Feb 26, 2019

Crews fight a fire early Tuesday above Milanese Pizza in Delran.
[COURTESY OF CINNAMINSON FIRE DEPARTMENT]

A 13-year-old girl was taken to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia after suffering injuries from a fire Tuesday morning in Delran.
[COURTESY OF CINNAMINSON FIRE DEPARTMENT]

Firefighters responded to Milanese Pizza at St. Mihiel Drive and Chester Avenue around 4:30 a.m. The fire heavily damaged the businesss.

DELRAN — A 13-year-old girl was injured when a fire broke out early Tuesday at an apartment and pizzeria.

Crews fight a fire early Tuesday at Milanese Pizza in Delran.
[COURTESY OF CINNAMINSON FIRE DEPARTMENT]

Firefighters responded about 4:30 a.m. to the apartment above Milanese Pizza at St. Mihiel Drive and Chester Avenue. The fire heavily damaged the home and caused smoke and water damage to the business, township Fire Marshal Walter Bauer said.

The girl, who lived above the shop with her parents and a sibling, was taken to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia with unspecified injuries, officials said. Her condition was not available Tuesday morning.

Crews fight a fire early Tuesday at Milanese Pizza in Delran.
[COURTESY OF CINNAMINSON FIRE DEPARTMENT]

Authorities believe the fire started in the girl's back bedroom. The cause is under investigation, Bauer said.

While the family was able to escape, one person had to be rescued from the second-floor roof after she escaped from a window.

A teenage girl was injured in an early morning fire in a second-floor apartment atop Milanese Pizza in Delran, according to officials.
[COURTESY OF CINNAMINSON FIRE DEPARTMENT]

Multiple departments responded to the multi-alarm fire. They brought the blaze under control by 5:51 a.m., according to Burlington County Central Communications.

“(Crews) had heavy fire coming out of three windows from the back bedroom when they arrived,” Bauer said.

The fire caused the apartment floor to collapse in that bedroom area, but most of the damage downstairs was from water and smoke. The pizzeria, which has been in operation since 1985, will likely have to remain closed for an extended period, officials said.

An early morning fire destroyed the upstairs apartment of a building in Delran on Tuesday.
[DAVID LEVINSKY / STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST]

Building owner Jack Russick was at the scene while investigators surveyed the damage. He said he was on his way to work in New York when he received a phone call that the building was on fire.

“There’s nothing to prepare you for that, for sure,” Russick said. “But from what I understand, the firefighters arrived very quick and were able to get one (resident) off from the (roof).”

Russick said his family has owned the building for three generations. He said his grandmother originally ran a luncheonette there, and he also rented to a television repair business before the pizzeria opened.

Former Delran EMT chief to get jail tme for fraud, records tampering

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20190507/former-delran-emt-chief-to-get-jail-tme-for-fraud-records-tampering

By Lisa Broadt

Posted: May 7, 2019

Donald Horner, 67, has admitted to falsifying patient care reports and using the fake records to fraudulently bill insurance providers.

MOUNT HOLLY — A former Delran Emergency Squad chief is to serve nearly one year in jail after pleading guilty Monday to insurance fraud and tampering with public records.

As part of a plea deal, Donald Horner, 67, admitted to falsifying patient care reports and using the fake records to fraudulently bill insurance providers. He is to serve 364 days in the Burlington County Jail, according to the agreement with the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.

Last year, after receiving tips about the fraud, investigators with the New Jersey Department of Health, Office of Emergency Management, began looking into Horner.

When the investigators visited the squad's Chester Avenue headquarters, Horner threatened their lives, authorities said.

As a result of the investigation, the state suspended the squad’s license. Horner resigned a short time later.

Further investigation revealed Horner’s emergency medical technician certification expired at the end of 2016, but the chief continued to serve as an EMT crew member.

He was found to have altered 27 reports to conceal that fact, which would have disallowed the squad from billing for those services, according to the prosecutor's office.

Eleven of the altered reports were submitted to insurance companies for a payout of about $4,300, according to law enforcement.

In October, Horner was arrested and charged with a multitude of crimes, including insurance fraud, computer criminal activity, tampering with witnesses, terroristic threats, theft, hindering apprehension, alteration of medical records, tampering with records and obstructing the administration of the law.

As part of the negotiated plea, Horner also must make restitution, pay a $1,300 fee, perform 200 hours of community service and forfeit his EMT certification for life. Horner's sentencing is set for June 24.

Former Delran EMS chief Don Horner gets 30 days for insurance fraud, record tampering

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20190618/former-delran-ems-chief-don-horner-gets-30-days-for-insurance-fraud-record-tampering

By George Woolston

Posted: Jun 18, 2019

Don Horner, 67, formerly of Cinnaminson, was sentenced to 30 days in Burlington County Jail and three years probation Monday for operating under an expired EMT certificate and covering it up on official paperwork.

MOUNT HOLLY — A former Delran Emergency Squad chief was sentenced to 30 days in Burlington County Jail and three years probation Monday for operating under an expired EMT certificate and covering it up on official paperwork, the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office announced today.

Don Horner, 67, formerly of Cinnaminson, pled guilty in May to third-degree insurance fraud and third-degree tampering with public records. The state was seeking 364 days of incarceration.

Horner was enrolled in the state Superior Court’s Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) program for charges of tax evasion and filing fraudulent income tax returns when he was arrested in 2018.

“Notwithstanding the defendant’s long period of commendable public service, his commission of these offenses while in PTI for other offenses demonstrates nothing but sheer arrogance,” Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said. “This sentence reflects appropriate accountability for the defendant’s doubling down on his criminal activity.

Horner is also a former Riverside Township Police Department chief.

In addition to 30 days in jail and three years probation, Horner must also make restitution and forfeit his EMT certification for life, perform 200 hours of community service and pay a $1,300 fine.

According to the prosecutor's office, Horner was found to have altered reports on 27 different occasions when he served as a crew member to conceal the fact that he was an uncertified EMT that participated in those transports, which would have disallowed the squad from billing for those services. The prosecutor's office said that 11 of the altered reports were submitted to insurance companies, which paid out a total of $4,307.

The investigation was conducted by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office Insurance Fraud Unit. The lead investigator was BCPO Detective Steve Laramie. Horner was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Josh Dennis, supervisor of the BCPO Insurance Fraud Unit.

Delran EMS ‘heading in right direction’ under corrective action plan

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20190806/delran-ems-heading-in-right-direction-under-corrective-action-plan

By George Woolston

Posted: Aug 6, 2019

The combined paid and volunteer emergency squad began operations again this January under a corrective action plan established by a settlement agreement with both the township and the New Jersey Department of Health.

DELRAN — After having its license suspended for the last six months of 2018, and seeing its former chief sentenced to 30 days in jail, the Delran Emergency Squad is back serving the Delran and Riverside communities — under a few conditions.

The combined paid and volunteer emergency squad began operations again this January under a corrective action plan established by agreements with both the township and the New Jersey Department of Health.

While the corrective action plan has allowed the squad to keep its license as a basic life support agency, the squad won’t be able to operate on its own until 2020 at the earliest.

According to an out-of-court settlement reached with DOH in November, it must first operate for 12 months under the basic life support agency license held by EMS Consulting Services, who will also have direct operational control over the squad for that same time.

EMS Consulting Services is an EMS, police and fire department consulting firm based in Hammonton. According to the settlement, the firm has not only been overseeing the emergency squad’s day-to-day operations but has also been working with the squad’s board of directors and township officials to develop policies and procedures that meet both state and national EMS standards.

“Things are better than they were,” said Chuck McSweeney, principle of EMS Consulting Services, earlier this week. 

The Delran Emergency Squad’s license was suspended in July 2018 by the DOH due to multiple violations, including operating vehicles with uncertified staff, altering patient care reports and hindering an audit investigation.

An investigation revealed that the squad’s then-chief Donald Horner had altered reports on 27 different occasions when he served as a crew member to conceal the fact that he was an uncertified EMT, which would have disallowed the squad from billing for those services. 

Horner resigned shortly after the squad’s license was suspended last year, and has since been been arrested. In May, he pleaded guilty to third-degree insurance fraud and third-degree tampering with public records, and on June 18, he was sentenced to 30 days in Burlington County Jail.  

According to the settlement with the DOH, after 12 months the squad will begin operations under its license but must retain EMS Consulting Services for consulting services for no less than 12 more months. 

“I would say that they’re (Delran Emergency Squad) heading in the right direction,” Delran Mayor Ken Paris said Tuesday. Paris added that there are still some issues that need to be ironed out, such as the squad’s response time, which he believed could be because of a shortage of staff.

McSweeney said that it has been looking to find more of both volunteers and paid staff. 

“EMS is a revolving door,” McSweeney said. “There’s a shortage of EMTs in my opinion … we’re always looking.”

The squad, independent from both Delran and Riverside, will have both its worker’s compensation and general liability insurance covered by Delran through the Burlington County Joint Insurance Fund for the 12 months of its service agreement with the township.

Delran also loaned the squad $26,000 as seed money to help get its operations back up and running, Business Administrator Jeffrey Hatcher said. Hatcher added that the squad has a similar agreement with Riverside. 

Hatcher said that after its six-month suspension the squad, which relies on billing reimbursements from insurance companies, didn’t have the funds necessary to begin operations. 

The squad must repay the loans by the end of the year.

As part of the service agreement with Delran, the township has the right to inspect the ambulances the emergency squad uses, as well as perform periodic audits of all services provided and all financial information, billing, records, call logs, accounts payable and accounts receivable.

The service agreement also stipulates that its members must have all appropriate licenses and certifications and that all ambulances must be staffed by personnel who are EMT-certified.

Paris said that he expects that a formal review of the emergency squad will be conducted later this year.

Prosecutor: Burlington County CO stole $6K raised in memory of jail colleague

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20190829/prosecutor-burlington-county-co-stole-6k-raised-in-memory-of-jail-colleague

By George Woolston

Posted: Aug 29, 2019

Ann Inman. [COURTESY OF BURLINGTON COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFCE]

MOUNT HOLLY — A Burlington County corrections officer was charged Wednesday for allegedly stealing over $6,000 that was raised in the memory of a fellow officer and veteran who died of brain cancer.

Ann Inman, 36, of Lumberton, was charged with one count of third-degree theft by failure to make required disposition of property received, the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office announced today.

Inman served as the treasurer for PBA 249, the union representing Burlington County corrections officers, at the time the fundraiser for Jason Wark was held in March 2017.

Wark's fellow correctional officers at the Burlington County Jail were planning a fundraiser to help him and his family as he underwent treatment for brain cancer.

Wark died in February before the fundraiser could be held. He was 35.

But one month later, his colleagues in PBA 249 gathered at the VFW Post 3020 in Delran — where Wark, a U.S. Marine veteran, was a member — to raise the money in his memory.

He was that kind of guy — always willing to drop whatever he was doing to lend a helping hand, or perhaps an ear to his fellow veterans who needed to talk, friends and colleagues said. Even when he was sick.

"He would do anything to help you," said John Wagner, Wark's former co-worker at the jail and close friend. "He would always talk to you. Even when he was sick and he couldn't drive, he would say, 'Hey come pick me up, I'll talk with you.'"

Todd Epperly, now the post commander at VFW Post 3020, knew Wark for years and said he was member of the VFW post ever since he returned from Iraq.

"He was quiet and kind-hearted and I loved him to death. He was a great guy," Epperly said.

Wark grew up in Riverton and served as a loader with the M1A1 Tank Battalion during the initial surge of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, according to his obituary. He was also a member of the Riverton Fire Company.

Wark's colleagues were under the impression that the $6,365 that was raised that day in March 2017 would be first deposited into union's bank account and then donated to the cancer center that treated Wark — as requested by Wark's wife.

The investigation into the funds raised for Wark began in April when a question was raised in a PBA 249 meeting about what happened to the proceeds from the fundraiser, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

The affidavit states that the union president called Inman to ask where the proceeds went after an examination of the PBA treasurer reports and bank statements revealed the money had never been deposited into the union account.

Inman admitted to the union president that she had kept the money and spent it, according to the affidavit.

Wagner, now retired, said that those at the jail who knew Wark feel disrespected that the money was never donated.

"Why is somebody else spending the money that was raised for him?" Wagner asked. "That money could have went somewhere ... not for somebody else to put it in their pocket. In his honor, I feel disrespected."

Inman turned herself in Wednesday at the Burlington County courts facility in Mount Holly and was released after being processed, the prosecutor's office said. The case will now go before Burlington County Grand Jury for possible indictment.

Riverside dissolves deal with Delran ES, signs pact with Palmyra for EMS services

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20190920/riverside-dissolves-deal-with-delran-es-signs-pact-with-palmyra-for-ems-services

By George Woolston

Posted: Sep 20, 2019

On Sept. 5 the township committee voted to terminate the service agreement between Riverside Township and the Delran Emergency Squad "after months of careful consideration," the township said in a statement.

RIVERSIDE — Township residents in need of an ambulance will soon no longer be served by the Delran Emergency Squad.

On Sept. 5 the township committee voted to terminate the service agreement between Riverside and the Delran Emergency Squad "after months of careful consideration," the township said in a statement.

The township committee Monday voted to enter into an agreement with the Palmyra Ambulance Association that will begin on Nov. 11, providing Delran Emergency Squad with the required 60 days notice.

"The Township Committee would like to thank the Delran Emergency Squad and its staff for their efforts on behalf of the Riverside residents, and looks forward to working with them in the future under mutual aid," read the statement.

Details of the agreement were not immediately available. Township officials could not be reached for comment Thursday.

The Palmyra Ambulance Association currently serves Palmyra, Cinnaminson and Riverton. It operates out of two stations, one at 125 W. Broad St. in Palmyra, and a second substation that was opened last year at 1702 Riverton Road in Cinnaminson. According to its website, the EMS company has a volunteer roster of 20 members and a career staff of eight full-time and 20 per diem employees.

The township had previously contracted with the Palmyra Ambulance Association last year for temporary coverage of the township after the Delran Emergency Squad's license was suspended by the New Jersey Department of Health in July 2018 for multiple violations, including operating vehicles with uncertified staff, altering patient care reports and hindering an audit investigation.

Then-Delran EMS Chief Don Horner has since been sentenced to 30 days in jail.

In January, the Delran Emergency Squad resumed operations under a corrective action plan established by agreements with both the township and the New Jersey Department of Health. Under the plan, the emergency squad must operate for all of 2019 under the basic life support agency license held by EMS Consulting Services, who has direct operational control over the squad for that same time.

EMS Consulting Services is an EMS, police and fire department consulting firm based in Hammonton. According to the settlement, the firm has not only been overseeing the emergency squad’s day-to-day operations but has also been working with the squad’s board of directors and township officials to develop policies and procedures that meet both state and national EMS standards.

Fire causes extensive damage to Delran home

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20191104/fire-causes-extensive-damage-to-delran-home

By George Woolston

Posted: Nov 4, 2019

A fire severely damaged the home on Yansick Drive in Delran on Sunday.
[COURTESY OF MIKE LORINO]

According to Delran Fire Marshal Walter Bauer, four people were at the Yansick Drive home when when they smelled smoke around 6:30 p.m.

DELRAN — A township family was able to escape safely from their Yansick Drive home Sunday before it was engulfed in flames.

According to Delran Fire Marshal Walter Bauer, four people were at home when when they smelled smoke around 6:30 p.m.

Delran resident Mike Lorino captures video of the fire that engulfed a home along Yansick Drive in Delran on Sunday night. No injuries were reported. pic.twitter.com/LN4a86sRK3

— George Woolston (@gcwoolston) November 4, 2019

Bauer said they would discover a fire in the garage, and were able to safely escape.

The fire marshal said the fire would spread to the roof before it was under control around 7:20 p.m. The fire caused extensive damage to the home.

Fire Departments from Delran, Riverside, Cinnaminson, Palmyra, Riverton and Beverly responded to the scene. No injuries were reported, Bauer said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Bauer said it does not appear suspicious.

NJ Senate OKs Burlington County-inspired Moose’s Law to protect animals

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/story/news/local/2020/07/08/nj-senate-oks-burlington-county-inspired-moosersquos-law-to-protect-animals/42041707/

By Alyssa Biederman

Posted: July 8, 2020

Burlington County Times

TRENTON — It may soon be illegal for convicted animal abusers to own or work with pets in New Jersey.

Moose’s Law, named after a Burlington County dog who was lured away from home by an animal trainer and died after being left in a hot car, passed the state Senate unanimously June 29.

"Animal cruelty is egregious and cannot be tolerated,” said state Sen. Troy Singleton, D-7 of Delran, who sponsored the bill. “Through this legislation, we will not allow anyone who has committed such acts to reoffend and put other animals in harm's way.”

The bill would require animal-related businesses and organizations like zoos and kennels to certify potential employees and volunteers do not have any prior animal cruelty convictions. A list of convicted animal-cruelty offenders would be made public.

The namesake of the bill, Moose, was a family pet from Delran. He was stolen from the family by Pennsylvania animal trainer Jacquelin Lockard, who sold Moose to a different family. While training the dog, Lockard left Moose in a hot car and he died.

Now that the bill has gone through the Senate, it must also be passed by the state Assembly and be signed by the governor in order to become law.

Singleton has pushed for the bill to be passed since 2012.

“What happened to Moose and to this family should never happen again,” Singleton said. “I am hopeful that my colleagues in the Assembly will continue to advance this proposal so that Moose's Law can finally become a reality here in New Jersey.”

In 2013, Lockard admitted to stealing Moose, selling him to another family and leaving the dog in her car. She plead guilty to theft and inflicting unnecessary animal cruelty in Burlington County Superior Court. She was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to complete 150 hours of community service

Delran Township awaits next appointed Chief of Police

Source: https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/story/news/2021/04/26/search-replacement-begins-after-chief-parente-retires-delran-police-law-enforcement-south-jersey/7253692002/

By Hector Davila Jr.

Posted: Apr. 26, 2021

Chief Alfonso Parente Jr. walks down a line of officers during his radio sign-off ceremony on April 7. Detective Fisher From The Delran Police Department

DELRAN — The search for a new chief of police begins, after former Chief Alfonso Parente Jr. of Delran Township Police Department announced his retirement earlier this month.

One morning, Parente woke up and simply knew it was time to go.

The chief shared how he contemplated retiring last year in the wake of coronavirus protocols and 2020 protests. But despite the pressure, he says, the department managed to deal with the stress.

"We got through it, and actually made it out a lot better than I thought we were going to," said Parente.

He also provided some insight as to why he made the decision to retire this year.

"The job wears on you. It is a young man's career. I will miss it, miss the people I worked with, but it was time to move on," said Parente.

Until the next chief is appointed, Lt. James Mitchell of Delran PD fills the position as acting chief by Mayor Gary Catrambone's request.

According to Catrambone, an appointment of the next chief of police may be held in late summer.

"We never had a need to appoint a chief of police, and this will be my first as mayor of Delran. But people have advised me that a selection may be done in August," said Catrambone.

No other candidates have applied for the position.

When asked about any plans for the department, Mitchell believes no immediate moves will take place. He does, however, expect the department to shift in a new direction.

"It is a challenging time for law enforcement out there, but we are going to do our job. We haven't implemented any major changes until we sort out the command transfer," said Mitchell. "But going forward I think there will be a lot of changes and adapting on our part, and I am going to do the best that I can."

Police departments around the nation have gained the attention of their local communities and governing officials, to evaluate law enforcement changes after the final ruling in the Derek Chauvin trial.

Catrambone shared on what changes in the hiring process can be expected for Delran PD.

"We've been working to make sure the department reflects the town's diversity. Some folks don't understand that the process of candidates available don't quite give us the opportunity to hire officers that make us better to do that," explained Catrambone.

The mayor also posted on his social media profile the department's "continuing efforts" to supporting the Black community and people of color.

A photo of a post from Mayor Catrambone's Facebook profile. Hector Davila Jr.

On April 7, the police department held a traditional radio sign-off ceremony for Parente. Each officer gave a final salute as he was then handed off to his family waiting at the end of the line.

At the ceremony, Delran residents, community members, and other emergency response professionals showed up in support of the longstanding Burlington County chief.

Parente served on the force for 30 years, 17 of those years as chief of police. He was appointed on May 21, 2004.

He became a certified officer after graduating from Camden County Police Academy. In 1999, he was promoted to sergeant and oversaw the night patrol.

In May 2002, he received a promotion as lieutenant of the department.

Due to his accomplishment as the longest-tenured chief in Burlington County, most of the current officers on the force were hired by him, and served under his leadership.

Although he did not aim to break records, Parente is grateful to have served the township. He believes his retirement will not be a loss to the community as he holds a philosophy that, "everyone's replaceable."

Hector Davila reports for the Burlington County Times. He is from Philadelphia and studied journalism at Eastern University. Reach him at hdavila@gannett.com