Police News

SWEARING IN – Fr. Simon El Hajj, Rabbi Eli Garfinkel and Rev. Jamin Powell, left to right in white shirts, are sworn in to their FTPD Chaplaincy positions at the June 25 Township Council meeting. Three of the five Chaplains in the Franklin Township Police Department’s “revamped” Chaplaincy program were sworn in at the June 25 Township Council meeting. Rabbi …

READY TO RUN – FTPD officers and supporters gather before the 7-mile leg of the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run for NJ Special Olympics. A team of Franklin Township Police Department officers took part June 7 in the 41st annual Law Enforcement Torch Run fundraiser, helping to raise more than $50,000 for the organization. The group of 13 officers took …

READY TO ROLL – Somerset County Sheriff Darren Russo (pointing) and Mayor Phil Kramer (right) talk before the 2024 Police Unity Tour set off for Washington, D.C. Four Franklin Township police officers were among nearly 400 men and women in blue who assembled in front of the Public Safety Building on DeMott Lane on a very rainy May 10 in …

02/25/2024 A Somerset resident was the victim of fraudulent activity on 02/23/24. The victim received a scam phone call from an alleged chief of police. The unknown suspect advised the victim to go to Walmart and have a barcode he provided scanned by an employee to transfer money. The victim suffered a loss of $3,960.00 before realizing he was the …

MAKING HISTORY – FTPD officer Patrick Kanu is ceremoniously sworn in at the January 23 Township Council meeting. Officials said Kanu is the first West African uniformed officer in the township. Five new Franklin Township Police officers – two of whom are graduates of the Youth Police Academy – were ceremoniously sworn in at the January 23 Township Council meeting. …

FALSE ALARM – The Municipal Complex was shut down for about an hour after a suspicious package was found on a bench at the Public Safety Building. (File photo). UPDATE: Police have released a few more details about the incident. Police said that at about 4 p.m. on October 19, a man walked into police headquarters looking for help in …

A 33-year-old New Brunswick woman was recently sentenced to 11 years in state prison for a wrong-way fatal car crash that killed two children, including a boy from Franklin Township. Yokauri Batista-Alcantara was sentenced on August 16 by Superior Court Judge Benjamin Bucca. She will have to serve at least six years before she is eligible for parole, according to …

SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS – Five Franklin High School seniors were awarded $500 scholarships by the Garden State Track Club at the Aug. 9 Township Council meeting. Also pictured are FTPD Det. Sgt. Rebecca Lea and Lt. Vincent Wilson. Five local students were awarded scholarships August 8 by the Garden State Track Club. The $500 scholarships were generated by funds from the …