Crime & Safety
Cedar Grove Police Honored for Valor
PBA Honors Cedar Grove Police for joint sting at Cliffside Drive factory.
Cedar Grove police officials were among the honorees at the Annual Essex County PBA Conference Valor Awards Ceremony held Sunday in Cedar Grove.
The ceremony, held at Il Tulipano restaurant, recognized the officers for their efforts resulting in the arrest of an organized group caught burglarizing a Cliffside Drive Factory on January 15, 2011.
The arrests followed a sting operation in conjunction with the New Jersey State Police Cargo Theft Unit.
Working with information the criminals were targeting the Cedar Grove location, the officers worked undercover both inside and outside the building.
That night, the group broke into the building and began loading $500,000 worth of merchandise into two stolen trucks, before being arrested by police.
Honored Cedar Grove police officers included Det. Sgt. John Kennedy, Lt. Joseph Cirasa, Lt. Michael Orsulak, Lt. Erik Hansson, Sgt. Frank Pumphrey, Sgt. Eileen O’Toole, Ptl. Michael Grasso, Ptl. Jose Rodriguez, Det. Michael Tower and Police Chief Richard Vanderstreet.
