Kristie Cattafi, Little Ferry Local (Bergen, North Jersey)

LITTLE FERRY – The Hasbrouck Heights Police Department may provide 911 services for Little Ferry, a service it already provides for two other towns, pending council approval.

Little Ferry approached the police department about taking over its 911 services, according to Police Chief Michael Colaneri. Colaneri said the police department has the equipment and manpower to handle the additional services. The department currently provides 911 services for Wood-Ridge and Teterboro.

If the council approves the Little Ferry agreement, the Hasbrouck Height Police Department would be at its max and wouldn’t be able to provide the service for anyone else.

“It is a way to share services and maximize what we have,” Colaneri said.

The borough currently charges Teterboro $6,421 per year for the services and has a contract with Wood-Ridge and charges $8,992 a year from 2010 to 2014, according to Borough Clerk Rosemarie Sees.

A price has not been set for Little Ferry yet.

The way the 9-1-1 system would work is a call would go to the Hasbrouck Heights Police Department switchboard. From there the department can tell where a call is coming from, the location, the building, what floor it is on or if it is a cell phone it will pin point toward the nearest cell phone tower, Colaneri explained.

“We get the information and an automatic switch will go to Little Ferry depending on the type of call it is,” he said. “We will give it to Little Ferry for dispatch whether it is medical, police, a car accident or fire.”

Hasbrouck Heights will be taking the initial call screen and transfer it, which is what it currently does with Teterboro and Wood- Ridge.

The Little Ferry and Hasbrouck Heights police departments are still working together on the logistics of the switch over.

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