Thursday, August 23, 2012
Lt. Frank Gendron has been with the department for 23 years.
Hightstown Police Department's acting lieutenant was sworn in as the department's lieutenant at Monday's council meeting. Lt. Frank Gendron has served as a Hightstown police officer for 23 years, and recently completed the FBI Academy. Following last year's storm that destroyed Borough Hall and the police department, and poured several feet of water into the downtown, Gendron was named acting police director. Prior to this, he held the rank of sergeant, and was named acting lieutenant in February of this year. "Lt. Gendron has demonstrated that he has the leadership skills to serve as the departments ranking officer," Police Director James Le Tellier said in an email. "He did an outstanding job getting the department up and running again…
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Robert Thibault is seeking attorney’s fees, damages.
A Hightstown council member filed a lawsuit against the Borough, police department and a detective, alleging a 2010 traffic stop violated his constitutional rights and was motivated by his support to consolidate the police department. “Why I decided to sue was because [Detective Benjamin Miller] violated my constitutional rights and has not been in any way disciplined by that, and it is to help ensure that there is a punishment, a cost, for violating the constitutional rights of anyone in Hightstown,” Thibault said. Thibault filed a complaint with both the police department and Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office after he was pulled over in 2010 and issued tickets for driving with a suspended license and failure to surrender a suspended …
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Each officer conducts two foot patrols during a 12-hour shift.
Nearly three weeks into the Hightstown Police Department mandated foot patrols in the downtown, the police director said he has already received positive feedback from the community. “I have heard from many people that they already feel safer when shopping in the down town area,” said Police Director James Le Tellier. Since the patrols have only been implemented for a few weeks, Le Tellier said it is too early to determine if it impacts crime levels in the downtown, but feels it will serve the community policing initiative. “It’s to early to measure its impact on crime rates but I believe it will have a major impact on the quality of life issues and act as a deterrent,” he said. During each of the officer’s 12-hour shifts, they conduct at…
Friday, August 10, 2012
The future of Hightstown Borough Hall, police department remains unknown.
An art studio, reception hall and retail shops were some of the options two council members proposed Wednesday for the vacant rug mill on Bank Street, while incorporating the future Borough Hall location into the plan. Council members Lynne Woods and Selena Bibens said they see an opportunity to do something about the large vacant property in the downtown, and presented what they called an “outside the box” option for Borough Hall and the police department, which were flooded during Hurricane Irene last August. The presentation had four phases, which included purchasing the rug mill, moving the police department in a modular building and eventually moving borough hall into the front portion of the rug mill building and using the back …
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Two council members plan to present another idea to the community.
A new option for the future of Hightstown’s Borough Hall and police department will be presented at the special meeting to be held Wednesday night. Following up on an idea suggested by a community member, council members Lynne Woods and Selena Bibens came up with a plan that includes incorporating the existing rug mill property with retail and residential options. A full presentation will be given at the meeting. “It is our belief that most residents have a common goal for that area which would be a mixture of retail and residential,” Woods told Patch. Woods and Bibens said their idea ties into the revitalization and historic preservation efforts discussed in Downtown Hightstown’s presentation by Donna Ann Harris of Heritage Consulting …
Police gave out food and drinks, and there were many activities for kids.
Hightstown police teamed up with several local businesses to expand National Night Out this year. Police gave out hamburgers, hotdogs and refreshments while area businesses sold food for under $5. An outdoor DJ played while kids jumped in the bounce house and went down the water slide. The fire department and first aid squad had their trucks out, and the Mercer County Sherrif's Office gave out information. Do you have photos or video from National Night Out? Click the "Upload Photos & Video" button above to share them on Patch. -- Follow East Windsor Patch on Facebook, Twitter and sign up for the daily newsletter.
Monday, August 6, 2012
The ordinance will limit the number of taxi companies that can operate in the Borough.
A vote to update Hightstown's taxi-licensing ordinance aligning it with state guidelines will be held tonight. Licensing five taxi companies and an unlimited number of cabs was recommended by Police Director James Le Tellier to help with enforcement. Taxicab company owners are also working with police to ensure drivers are complying with local laws, he said. The ordinance would require taxi drivers to have photo identification issued by the Borough. Cabs would also be required to have decals indicating they are licensed in town. A tie-breaking vote by Mayor Steven Kirson introduced the proposed ordinance in July after disagreement between council members over the number of cabs and minimum insurance requirement for companies. Borough …
Friday, August 3, 2012
Patrolman Frank Jimenez and Sgt. Mark Niro were awarded the Top Gun award.
Two Hightstown police officers were recognized for taking drunk drivers off the road in 2011. The Top Gun award was given to Patrolman Frank Jimenez and Sgt. Mark Niro, according to Police Director James Le Tellier. In 2011, Jimenez had 21 DWI arrests and Niro had 15. “They are both good officers who aggressively protect the public from dunk drivers,” Le Tellier said. Police chiefs across the state submit names to the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety who reviews the applications and selects the officers who will be recognized. Mother’s Against Drunk Driving also recognized Jimenez in June with a Law Enforcement Distinguished Service award. “Your unceasing dedication to the life saving efforts of keeping our roads safe from the …
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Motorist was bleeding but conscious when taken to an area hospital, according to the fire chief.
Firefighters had to cut a man from a wrecked BMW after he ran a stop sign and slammed into a utility truck at the intersection of Route 33 and Airport Road Monday, officials said. The BMW’s driver, Victor Tang, 19, of West Windsor had his legs pinned inside and firefighters had to cut the roof and doors off the SUV, said East Windsor Fire Company No. 1 Chief Kevin Brink. He was conscious but bleeding when he was transported to the Capital Health Regional Medical Center at Fuld in Trenton. Brink said the extrication took longer than normal, about 20 to 25 minutes, because of how mangled the car was. “The whole driver’s side was smashed in. The car was hit so hard that the wheels broke on the car,” Brink said. Police said Tang was driving …
Saturday, July 28, 2012
The effort is part of the police director's community policing initiative.
An increased police presence will be seen in downtown Hightstown now that officers will be conducting at least two foot patrols each shift, according to the police director. The foot patrols are not in response to a specific crime, but rather formalizing a practice some officers already did, and mandating it for every officer on a shift, said Police Director James Le Tellier. He said there have been some of the same complaints in the downtown, including bicycles riding on sidewalks and a lack of police presence, but nothing out of the ordinary. “These foot patrol will serve as a deterrent and make people feel safer,” he said. There will be a minimum of eight foot patrols in the downtown, with each of the two officers on duty during a 12-…
clara
8:17 am on Thursday, August 23, 2012
A true gentleman and compassionate police officer, glad to see he was promoted. more ›