Press Release

The Avalon Police Department will join with other municipal police departments in the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” initiative.  The anti-drunk driving campaign begins Friday, August 16^th and runs through Monday, September 2^nd.  The program will include sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols, looking for motorists who may be driving while intoxicated.

The Division of Highway Traffic Safety awarded Avalon a $4,400 grant to participate in the program which was launched in the United States in 1999.  “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” combats drunk driving during some of the busiest travel times of the year, including the popular Labor Day Weekend holiday.

“Shore communities like Avalon need to continually send the message that drinking and driving is simply not tolerated and breaks the law”, said Avalon Police Chief William McCormick.  “Avalon is proud to participate in this program as another reminder to residents and visitors to not get behind the wheel after consuming alcoholic beverages”.

“Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” includes high-visibility enforcement and public and education tools, including posters, banners and mobile video display signs.  Police departments who participate in the program may also conduct sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols, specifically designed to pull over motorists who may be driving while intoxicated.

In 2012, alcohol-impaired fatalities accounted for 19 percent of New Jersey’s motor vehicle fatalities.  The Division of Highway Traffic Safety provides grants to local law enforcement agencies throughout the state to run the two-week program.

Here are some tips to avoid being arrested for driving while intoxicated:

• Designated a driver who will not consume alcohol before going out.
• Take advantage of other transportation alternatives including Avalon’s Jitney service or various taxi services
• Spend the night where the activity is held
• Report drunk drivers to law enforcement

Avalon Police have charged a Pennsylvania man with Aggravated Assault following a fight that occurred a local convenience store earlier this month.

On Saturday, August 3rd at 2:14 am, police responded to a fight in progress at a Wawa store located at 2701 Ocean Drive.  When officers arrived, both the victim and suspect had fled the area.  After an on scene investigation, the suspect was discovered in a nearby house.  The victim was found several blocks away and sustained significant injuries including: a broken orbital socket, broken nose and a large cut above his eye.

Police have charged Joseph Bristow, 42, of Philadelphia, PA with Aggravated Assault.  He was released on his own recognizance.

The Avalon Police Department arrested a Massachusetts man following an incident that began at a local business and continued at police headquarters.

On Saturday, August 3^rd, at 12:29am, Sgt. Jeff Christopher and Ptlm. Sam Hoffman responded to a fight in progress at the Whitebriar Restaurant located at 260 20^th Street.  At the scene, a highly intoxicated Joseph McGlone, 32, of Rehoboth MA, was taken into custody for assaulting members of the Whitebriar staff.  While at police headquarters, McGlone became more aggressive and assaulted an officer.  McGlone was also found to be in possession of illegal narcotics.  He was charged with Aggravated Assault on Police, Simple Assault, Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance, and Disorderly Conduct.

He was taken to the Cape May County Correctional Facility on $25,000 bail.

The Avalon Police Department has arrested a Pennsylvania man with theft and other offenses after he allegedly stole part of a bronze sculpture from a well-known Borough streetscape. The statue entitled “Girl” was cast by local artist Gary Jacketti in 1991 and depicts a young girl flying a kite. She has greeted millions of visitors as they have entered Avalon over the years at 30^th Street and Ocean Drive. The kite portion of the life size work was reported missing on July 16, 2013.

Bruno Talvacchia, age 19 from Narberth, PA was arrested at his rental residence in the 700 block of 21^st Street later that day, where the kite was recovered. Talvacchia was charged with theft, receiving stolen property, and criminal mischief after police located a pay stub he dropped at the scene. The theft and receiving stolen property charges are third degree crimes and the criminal mischief is a fourth degree crime as damage is estimated to be over $500.00.  Investigating officers were Det. Sgt. Joseph Gaughan and Ptlm. Sam Hoffman.

Talvacchia was transferred to the Cape May County Correctional Facility after failing to post $10,000 full cash bail set by the Hon. George Neidig of the Avalon Municipal Court.

 The Avalon Police Department has charged two Dennis Township residents with theft and receiving stolen property after police obtained information they were attempting to sell a Jet Ski dock to a local business. Middle Township and Avalon Police found the two in possession of the dock which was later determined to have been taken from an Ocean Drive address in Avalon. A second jet ski dock was also reported missing from the property by the victim. The loss was estimated to be $3600.00.

Police charged Leonard Verity, age 32 and Justin Doyle, 30 with theft and stolen property and were released after posting $2500.00 cash bail set by the Hon. George Neidig of the Avalon Municipal Court. The case was investigated by Ptlm. Charles Hewitt and Detective Sergeant Joseph Gaughan.

The matter is pending review by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office.

Borough Residents are encouraged to report suspicious activity to the Avalon Police Department at 967-3411 or by dialing 9-1-1.

The County of Cape May’s construction of a temporary road that will service the Avalon portion of Ocean Drive leading to the Townsend’s Inlet Bridge will begin on Monday, April 15^th.  The county anticipates the construction of the temporary road will conclude on or about Friday, April 26^th.

Avalon Police Chief William McCormick attended a meeting on Friday, April 12^th that provided details of the project.  Chief McCormick advises residents and visitors that both pedestrians and individuals on bicycles will be prohibited from the work area for safety reasons due to heavy trucks and equipment.  The hours of construction on some days may begin as early as 6:00am and end at 6pm, or later, if required.

The Avalon Police Department announced that it is participating in a new distracted driver education campaign.  Avalon Police will join other police departments around the state with the new initiative called “Turn the Phone Off” which is designed to help educate motorists about the dangers involved with texting and talking on a hand-held cellular phone.

“Distracted driving is a leading cause of motor vehicle accidents throughout the State”, said Avalon Police Chief William McCormick.  “This new campaign allows us to enforce the laws that prohibit texting and talking while driving while also providing a very important education program for the motoring public”.

The “Turn the Phone Off” campaign was launched by the South Jersey Traffic Alliance.  As a participant in the campaign, Avalon Police will issue special warnings and informational fliers to any motorist who is stopped for texting or talking on a hand-held cellular phone.  The motorist will be instructed to go to a special website to watch a video that details the dangers of distracted driving.  If the motorist watches the video and fills out necessary information on the website, a summons will be avoided.  If the motorist does not comply, a summons will be issued.  New Jersey law prohibits the operation of a hand-held cellular phone while driving; violators are subject to substantial fines.

The video was created by AT&T and features police officers, offenders, family members and others recounting tearful stories about the consequences of texting and driving.

The United States National Highway Traffic Administration estimates that one quarter of all police-reported motor vehicle accidents are a result of distracted driving.

The Avalon Police Department will participate in this program from April 1^st through September 3rd, 2013.   The public can view the educational video anytime at www.hangup-justdrive.com.

The Avalon Police Department promoted David Glassford to the position of Patrol Sergeant during a meeting of the Avalon Borough Council on Wednesday, February 27^th, 2013.  Glassford was sworn in to his new position by Avalon Mayor Martin Pagliughi.  Glassford replaces Patrol Sgt. Craig Smith, who recently retired from the Avalon Police Department.

As a Patrol Sergeant, Glassford will be in charge of his shift at the police department, overseeing both patrolmen and the dispatcher.

Glassford is a seven year veteran of the Avalon Police Department.  He lives in Belleplain, NJ with his wife and daughter.  Patrol Sgt. Glassford worked as a Class II Officer in the city of Wildwood after serving in the United States Marine Corps for five years where he attained the rank of E-5 Sergeant.

The Avalon Police Department has been accredited by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP) Accreditation Commissioners.  The accreditation was officially awarded on Thursday, February 14^th, 2013 in Princeton, New Jersey.  The accreditation runs for three years; the Avalon Police Department will begin the re-accreditation process in 2016.  This is the first time that the Avalon Police Department has applied for, and received, accreditation.

“We are very pleased to achieve the first-ever accreditation for the Avalon Police Department”, said Avalon Police Chief William McCormick.  “The accreditation program is a time-proven way of helping law enforcement agencies including the Avalon Police Department calculate and improve their overall performances”.

The accreditation process took three years and culminated with the on-site inspection in Avalon in June, 2012.  The awarding of the accreditation was attended by Chief McCormick, retired Avalon Police Chief David Dean, Captain David McCallion, and Sergeant Frank Hood.

The NJSACOP administers the accreditation program for police departments throughout the State of New Jersey.  It requires agencies to comply with best practice standards in five basic areas:  Administration, personnel, operations, investigation, and arrestee/detainee.  The Avalon Police Department achieved compliance in 112 standards in order to achieve the accreditation. 

Participating agencies conduct a thorough self-analysis to determine how existing operations can be adapted to meet these objectives.  When the procedures are in place, a team of trained assessors verifies that the applicable standards have been successfully implemented.  Accreditation acknowledges the implementation of policies and procedures that are conceptually sound and operationally effective.

“This is simply an outstanding effort by the Avalon Police Department”, said Avalon Mayor Martin Pagliughi.  “Our community is very proud about this accreditation, and reaffirms our confidence that Avalon has a very professional police department that provides an extraordinary level of safety for our community”.

State accredited agencies may also be eligible for insurance rate discounts and can limit an agency’s liability and risk exposure because it demonstrates that recognized standards for law enforcement have been met, as verified by a team of independent outside-trained assessors.