Community Policing Bureau

The Fair Lawn Police Department established their community policing program in 1996. The methodology behind community policing is to establish and maintain partnerships between the police and the community. The communication that is built in these partnerships motivates everyone involved in proactive problem solving. Quality of life and community safety is enhanced by removing the barriers between the community and police, through support programs and communication.

The below links below highlight some of the programs the Fair Lawn Police Department has instituted as the foundation behind their community policing philosophy.

If you have any questions regarding the programs listed here, or about community policing in general, please contact Sgt. Derek Bastinck at the Fair Lawn Police Department at (201) 794-5365 or send him an e-mail. Below are some of the progams that are offered by the Community Policing Bureau.

Home Security Surveys

Most burglaries are crimes of opportunity. The Fair Lawn Police Department is committed to working with the community to reduce crime. The Department's Community Policing Bureau offers free security surveys for residents and business owners. The department will send, at no cost to the resident/business owner, a specially trained police officer to your home or business to conduct the survey. Some of the things the officer will look at are windows, doors, locks, and lighting. The officer will make recommendations on ways you can improve your security and safety. The survey takes approximately 90 minutes and is scheduled at your convenience. By working together, we can lessen the chances that you will become a victim, and make Fair Lawn a safer and more secure place to live and work. To schedule a Home Security Survey, contact Community Policing.

Tours and Presentations

The community policing unit throughout the year visit Daisy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts as well as classes from anywhere from nursery school to high school seniors. The presentations are age appropriate and fun for us, since we like kids, but deliver a serious message since children are among the most vulnerable members of society to crime. We can present anything from a visit to a nursery school class to a presentation to High School seniors on an age appropriate level. The topics deal with telling children how to avoid being a victim of crime, what to do if approached by a stranger, how to use 9-1-1 and what to do if they encounter a gun or drugs in a playmates house or in a park when they are playing. Traffic safety is also a part of the presentation . We visit sophomores at Fair Lawn High School each year as part of their driver’s education courses. This is in addition to the highly popular D.A.R.E. program which is delivered to children in the 4th, 6th and 8th grades. We also offer tours of police headquarters to groups of children. We also give presentations and tours of headquarters to adults. Among the groups addressed in the past year have been the Fair Lawn Rotary, the Fair Lawn Lyons Club, Radburn Senior Club, and the 55 Alive driving program at the Senior Citizen’s Center. We’ve also provided tours to some of these groups.

Otto the Auto

Otto the Auto is presented in cooperation with the North Jersey Automobile Club. A representative of the North Jersey Automobile Association and a Fair Lawn Police Officer visit children from grades K-3 at the request of a school or club and speak to the children regarding pedestrian safety on an age appropriate level. The presentation consists of a " conversation" between Otto, who is a minature talking police car and the Officer about safety. It is then followed by an age appropriate film provided by the North Jersey Automobile Club which shows an accident involving a little boy ( the film cuts out before the actual impact, so as not to upset the children). A discussion is held between a representative of the North Jersey AA, the officer and the children on how the accident could have been prevented. Important safety rules are also emphasized. For more information please contact Mr. Steven Rajczyk of the North Jersey Automobile Club at 973-956-2243.

Click the links below for more Community Policing programs.

Bike Patrol	Bike Safety	Bicycle Rodeo	Block Watch
Crime Prevention Tips	Community Alerts	D.A.R.E.	"Fatal Vision"
Safety Sense Quiz		The Briefing Room

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