Crime & Safety

Cop Turned Off Body-Worn Camera, Hit Suspect With Gun: Bergen County Prosecutor

A police officer in Bergen County was charged with assault for hitting a man during an arrest, prosecutors said.

Attilio Dente, 43, who works for the Saddle Brook Police Department, has been charged with aggravated assault and tampering with public records, authorities said.
Attilio Dente, 43, who works for the Saddle Brook Police Department, has been charged with aggravated assault and tampering with public records, authorities said. (Bergen County Prosecutor's Office)

SADDLE BROOK, NJ — A Saddle Brook police officer was arrested Thursday for allegedly assaulting a suspect during an arrest, prosecutors said.

Attilio Dente, 43, was charged with aggravated assault, tampering with public records, and obstruction, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said Tuesday.

Officials said that on June 10, the Prosecutor’s Office Confidential Investigations Unit received information from the Saddle Brook Police Department regarding alleged violations of the use-of-force policy by an officer.

Find out what's happening in Ridgewood-Glen Rockfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Prosecutors determined that the day before, Dente hit a man in the head with his gun while trying to arrest him, injuring the man.

Dente intentionally deactivated his body-worn camera on the scene, prosecutors said. He later made a false entry on an incident report, prosecutors said.

Find out what's happening in Ridgewood-Glen Rockfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Dente was released to await further court action, prosecutors said.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.