Leonia Police Department

05/29/2026

ARRIVE Together Program Announcement:

As Mental Health Awareness Month comes to an end, the Leonia Police Department is proud to announce a new partnership to provide mental health support and services to our community. Care Plus NJ and Leonia Police Department are partnering in the Alternative Response to Reduce Instances of Violence and Escalation (ARRIVE) Together Program. The ARRIVE Together Program began as a pilot program between the Office of the Attorney General and the NJ State Police in 2021 and has since been expanded to include every county in NJ. New Jersey was the first state to have a statewide law enforcement and mental health alternative response program.

The goals of the ARRIVE Together Program include:

-Safer outcomes for our most vulnerable residents. Having a mental health specialist address behavioral health concerns leads to less arrests, less uses of force, and less injuries for residents and officers.

-The program increases the utilization of mental health resources. Mental health specialists in Leonia are contacting residents in need of mental health support and are assisting with providing resources.

-By increasing mental health services in Leonia, the program keeps residents in Leonia. Mental health screeners are now available to evaluate individuals before they are transported to an emergency room and connect them with services outside of a hospital.

-The ARRIVE Together Program is improving trust between law enforcement and the community. The program helps eliminate the stigma of when individuals in crisis reach out for help by connecting them to care and resources rather than the criminal justice system.

Care Plus NJ has provided mental health professionals to Leonia with office hours every Wednesday from 10AM to 6PM at Leonia Police Department. Leonia officers refer cases to the mental health professionals to follow up with residents in need of services. Our current Care Plus NJ professionals are A. Alex Hache and Gail Bushman. They can be reached at (201) 658-1713 for non-emergent matters. In case of a mental health emergency, call 9-1-1 or the Psychiatric Emergency Screening Program at (201) 262-HELP (4357).

This program is funded through a grant from the Office of the Attorney General and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and we thank them for their support.

05/25/2026

After reviewing several weather sources, it appears that the rain should end around 11:00 AM, with no reports of lightning or thunder expected.

Post 1 is still planning to proceed with the Memorial Day Parade as scheduled. However, due to the early morning rain, we will be unable to set up the stage at Wood Park with the banner, bunting, and audio equipment. As a result, the Memorial Day Ceremonies will instead be held at Post 1 (399 Broad Ave) at 12:00 PM.

11:00 AM: Line-up at Leonia Middle School
11:30 AM: Parade Kicks-Off
12:00 PM: Ceremony at Post 1

Below are the links to the program and line of march.

Memorial Day Parade & Ceremonies 2026 (print in “Booklet” format)

https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:9a9734b8-b86d-4b82-8b45-9131a9534dfd



Line of March 2026

https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:9999946b-42e4-4c40-bc12-ff2107e47af9

For God and Country,

DENNIS A. CASTRO
Commander
American Legion Post No.1
Leonia, NJ
Website: www.ALPOST1NJ.org

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 973.446.5043

American Legion Post: Sgt Clendenon S. Newell American Legion Post No. 1

05/22/2026

Congratulations to Destiny Portillo on her graduation last night from the Special Law Enforcement Officers class at the Bergen County Police Academy. We wish you well as you start your law enforcement career!

05/15/2026

Today is National Peace Officers Memorial Day and we honor and remember all law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. We especially remember Leonia Patrolman Theodore Van Zilen, who was killed in a motorcycle accident on August 30, 1918.

The Department recently designed and acquired a plaque in honor of Patrolman Van Zilen, which will be displayed in the lobby of our new Police Headquarters. The plaque is a small reminder of Patrolman Van Zilen's service and sacrifice to the Borough of Leonia.

05/13/2026

Congratulations to Capt. Chris Garris (Ret.), Sgt Sihoon Chung and Sgt John Longo on their completion today of the Police Unity Tour. The Tour is a 300 mile bicycle ride from NJ to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington DC. The Tour honors officers killed in the line of duty, including Leonia Patrolman Theodore Van Zilen. Officers from Leonia PD have participated in the tour every year for the past 20 years and we are proud to participate in this very worthy charity ride. Congratulations to all of this year’s riders!

05/04/2026

We had a great time at Leonia Day! Thank you to all who stopped by for free popcorn and to say hi!

Pictured (L-R): SLEO II Steve Oxnard, PO Mark Schmidt, and SLEO I Destiny Portillo

04/29/2026

Hackensack Meridian Children's Health is sponsoring the webinar "E-Bikes: What You Need to Know" tomorrow from 12:00PM - 1:00PM. The webinar will help teach children and youth how to ride safely and responsibly. Pediatric Injury Prevention experts will discuss the components of a high quality e-bike, relevant laws and how to ride properly. Please use the link to pre-register for the webinar.

04/29/2026

Yesterday the Leonia Police Department, Age-Friendly Leonia, and Bergen County Division of Consumer Protection hosted a "Scams & Frauds, Staying Alert" presentation. If you suspect that you have been the victim of fraud, please call us to file a report.

Thank you to our partners at Age-Friendly Leonia and BC Consumer Protection for bringing this educational presentation to Leonia!

04/28/2026

Nice job by D/Sgt Ray Forsdahl!

𝗚𝗢𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗔! 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 $𝟭,𝟮𝟬𝟬 𝗜𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘁: 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲

𝐁𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨 (𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬)

𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗧 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧: A Leonia detective sergeant identified a Queens man who authorities said bought $1,200 worth of gift cards at a local CVS with counterfeit cash.

Davante Sconiers-Miller, 30, made three separate purchases with a dozen bogus $100 bills on April 14th, Leonia Police Chief Scott Tamagny told Independent Online News.

Detective Sgt. Ray Forsdahl huddled with CVS security and reviewed store security video showing the then-unidentified Sconiers-Miller driving a Nissan Sentra, the chief said.

Forsdahl cross-referenced it with the department’s license plate readers to pull a license plate number and identify his suspect, Tamagny said.

A warrant secured last Friday (Apr. 24th) charges Sconiers-Miller with forgery and possession of counterfeit currency, the chief said.

Police in Monroe Township (Middlesex County) picked up Sconiers-Miller on the warrant earlier today (Tues., Apr. 28th) and turned him over to their Leonia colleagues, Tamagny said.

The U.S.-born American citizen remained held in Bergen County’s jail.