Bloomfield Gun, Pot Arrest A ‘Testament’ To New Strategic Deployment: Police Chief

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield police apprehended a pair of teens after finding a loaded gun and marijuana in their car during a traffic stop earlier this month, an arrest that Police Director Samuel DeMaio called “a testament” to the department’s new strategic deployment of personnel.

According to police, members of the BPD Anti-Crime Unit stopped a Kia Optima at John F. Kennedy Drive South around 10:40 p.m. on Nov. 6, after allegedly observing the driver fail to signal for a turn.

When stopped, the driver of the car - Deontay Tyson-Davis, 19, of Mooresville, PA - was unable to produce a driver license. While speaking to Tyson-Davis, officers allegedly detected the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle, police said.

After conducting further investigation, the officers found a .22 caliber revolver with seven bullets in the car, and a small amount of marijuana in the possession of the passenger, Jaquan Tillery, 18, of Trenton.

Authorities charged Tyson-Davis with Possession of a Weapon for Unlawful Purpose and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. His bail was set at $50,000.

Police charged Tillery with Possession of a Weapon for Unlawful Purpose, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon and Possession of CDS (marijuana under 50 grams). His bail was set at $75,000.

Police Director DeMaio commended the work of the responding officers and called the arrest “a testament of how our new strategic deployment of personnel affects the safety of our township.”

When Patch asked a Bloomfield Police Department spokesman to elaborate on the agency’s “new strategic deployment of personnel,” he offered the following statement:

“The Bloomfield PD has implemented programs such as AntiCrime Units - quality of life issues, narcotic activity, Comp stat-command staff meeting three times a week, Crime Analysis - collecting data to address crime patterns (time-location-day of week), Partnerships with County, State and Federal Agencies.”