Mayor unveils S.E.R.T. at State of the Township Address

IRVINGTON, NJ — At the annual State of the Township Address at Christian Pentecostal Church on Thursday, Jan. 28, Mayor Tony Vauss and police Director Tracey Bowers took a step toward upholding the promise to make Irvington clean and safe with the unveiling of the Police Division’s new Special Enforcement Response Team. Vauss said the S.E.R.T.’s job is designated through the Office of the Mayor to “clean up the streets.”

“The S.E.R.T. team’s responsibility will be to clean up the streets of Irvington,” Vauss said on Thursday, Jan. 28. “I want to make it clear to everyone that we will no longer tolerate our residents living in fear. If you’re planning on committing a crime in Irvington, your days are numbered. The S.E.R.T. team is coming for you if you mess up.”

Vauss said the difference between the new S.E.R.T. and the regular police is police officers take calls, whereas the S.E.R.T. doesn’t have to do that.

“Most of the time, when you have patrol cars and patrolmen, they’re usually on assignment,” Vauss said Monday, Feb. 1. “I know, sometimes people complain they tried to flag a police officer down and they didn’t stop. That’s because they’re going from stop to stop to stop; they’re answering service calls. What we have now is our S.E.R.T. team to handle warrants; to do investigations; to clear our streets; to clear out drug areas. That’s what the S.E.R.T. team’s primary goal is — to handle our problem situation, whether it be gangs, drug activities, whatever.”

Bowers said one of the best things about the new unit is its emphasis on rapid response to any given situation or crisis in town.

“For the general police officer assignment, he will get a call from headquarters and they will go to a burglary, fire, domestic violence call or whatever,” Bowers said on Monday, Feb. 1. “These community concerns are addressed right away through the S.E.R.T. team and it’s a rapid response, so there’s no waiting in the queue. They go right out to address the matter and report to us on their findings.”

Bowers said the best thing about the new unit is it is able to “do whatever; if they have to make an arrest, make a referral, they’re there to do that right away.” He said it all comes down to providing the Irvington community with the best service possible.

“Its service,” Bowers said. “A rapid response in a quick manner; that’s the best. It’s the best.”

When the members of the new S.E.R.T. marched out into the Christian Pentecostal Church sanctuary on Thursday, Jan. 28, some of the audience were visibly surprised to see there was a female in the ranks. Vauss is known for promoting gender equity by his choice of three female at large Municipal Council candidates to run on his winning ticket in 2014; hiring the first Latina member of the Fire Division; assigning female police officers to his personal security detail; and promoting women to various levels of command in the Police Department that is now the Public Safety Department’s Police Division.
So Vauss said no one should have been surprised the new S.E.R.T. also included a woman, and Bowers was quick to agree with the mayor.

“Absolutely; just like the military, the government and the entire workforce — it’s who can get the job done,” Bowers said. “Whoever is qualified to get the job done, those are the people we look forward to doing work for us at the Police Department. It’s new, in the sense that we’re bringing two departments — police and fire — together, but it’s all public safety.”

Vauss agreed, saying even though the public was introduced to the S.E.R.T. for the first time Thursday, Jan. 28, the members of the new rapid response unit had already been working in town for more than a month.
“In the month of December, they made 174 arrests,” Vauss said Thursday, Jan. 28. “They took guns off the streets. This is just the beginning of what we’re going to be doing in Irvington.”

Vauss finished his introduction of the new S.E.R.T. at the State of the Township Address with a warning to criminals and would-be offenders in Irvington.

“We’re not playing no more games with you,” Vauss said. “Don’t bring it here. You got a problem, we’ll solve it here.”