Sheriff's Candidate: I'll 'Beef Up' Street Patrols in Bergen County To Combat Drug Traffic

The republican candidate for Bergen County sheriff said he would "beef up" street patrols in an effort to combat the flow of drugs and weapons through the county — especially in the towns that border Paterson.

Manuel Alfonso said he would increase the number of street patrols done by the department's Bureau of Police Services, rather than reduce the amount of activity that department does.

"If your street patrol unit is making fewer stops it means fewer opportunities to catch those transporting drugs like heroin into our communities," said Alfonso, who has 26 years law enforcement experience.

According to Alfonso, activity by the Bureau of Police Services by decreased 21 percent in the past year, a number that he finds "disconcerting."

Alfonso said he would increase patrols in towns neighboring Paterson, including Fair Lawn and Elmwood Park, to stop drugs from coming into the county.

"There is a well known and well documented heroin problem in Paterson that is affecting communities in Bergen County. I would focus my forces where I know the flow the drugs is the greatest," said Alfonso.

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office reported earlier this year that 158 heroin or opioid-related overdoses have been reported in the county to date this year, including 48 fatal ones. In 2015, there were 231 reported overdoses, with 87 being fatal.

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