Humberto Cuadrado - Trustee
Passaic County Undersheriff Humberto Cuadrado After nearly three decades in law enforcement and honorably retiring from the City of Paterson Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit, Humberto was sworn in as Undersheriff for the Passaic County Sheriff Office, directly overseeing the Bureau of Court Securities among other divisions.
Since joining the Sheriff’s Office in 2012, Undersheriff Cuadrado’s former roles include: Director of Fleet Management, Director of Community Policing, Director of Auxiliary Services (includes the Deputy Sheriff and CERT Programs), and Director of Court Securities.
As a NJ Certified Police Instructor at the Passaic County Police Academy, Humberto also teaches life-saving tactics, instills cultural sensitivity practices to avoid conflicts between officers and members of the public, and focuses on major crimes investigations. He helps to welcome and train a diverse set of recruits ready and willing to serve and protect.
Humberto is a proud Veteran, who enlisted in the United States Army at a very young age and who’s functions included serving as Military Police. During his tenure, he served as a volunteer Paterson Auxiliary Police Officer performing law enforcement duties. The Paterson City Council, impressed by his commitment and sense of duty, appointed Humberto to serve as Passaic County Constable to assist county-wide law enforcement agencies with additional responsibilities, such as handling court documents, performing arrests and seizures.
Humberto entered the Paterson Police Academy in 1986. While assigned to the Paterson Patrol Division and Traffic Division, his aptitude for investigations led to his appointment to the Criminal Divisions Investigations Unit. As Major Crimes Detective, he worked on homicide, robbery, aggravated assault, fraud, kidnapping, carjacking, arson, bias crimes, missing persons, gang prevention, domestic violence and child abuse. He was an undercover agent with the ATF recovering weapons during interstate operations and with the FBI on homicide cases. He was the Latino media spokesperson for the police department and during the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attack, he volunteered with the World Trade Center rescue effort.
He attended Passaic County Community College and Fairleigh Dickinson University majoring in Criminal Justice, while also pursuing over a dozen continuing education courses in forensics and in all areas of major crimes at Princeton University and the Federal Bureau of Investigations. He is also certified in Bio-terrorism and Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) and he recently attended the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association (LEEDA) Training - led by the FBI Academy at Quantico, Virginia.
Humberto has collaborated with other law enforcement agencies solving high profile cases, some of which were covered by local media (e.g., Sealy Mattress murder, among others), and for which he humbly received medals and/or letters of commendations ranging from the F.B.I., the U.S. Department of Justice, NJ State PBA, numerous Prosecutors offices, Paterson Major Crimes Division, Paterson Police Chiefs, Mayors, City Council, county, federal and state officials.
Focused on addressing disparities and helping people in need, in 1990 Humberto founded - and for many years, served as President - of the Paterson Hispanic Police Association. The organization was the first of its kind in Paterson, making sure Latino officers had a voice and were recognized for their accomplishments, while also focusing on awarding student scholarships, assisting victims of natural disaster, donating clothes and toys, hosting holiday dinners for adults and children with disabilities, voluntarily providing security for worthy causes as in for hurricane relief efforts, hosting an annual gala to recognize accomplished officers and community leaders, and on a political front - publicly endorsing candidates that cared for the well-being and safety of the community-at-large.
In 2021, Humberto was appointed by NJ Governor Philip Murphy to serve on the statewide NJ Puerto Rico Commission, where he chairs the Emergency Disaster Committee. He was recently appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of the Borinqueneers Park Education Alliance and he continues to give back to his local community as Chair of the Hispanic Multi-Purpose Service Center Board of Trustees, Commissioner of the Passaic County Open Space Commission, the Passaic County Youth Commission, Member of the Paterson Police PBA Local #1, Passaic County Retired Police and Fire Association, Honor Legion of the NJ & NY Police Departments, the Blue Knights, Member of the Lyons International Club, Hispanic Cycles Club, Paterson Puerto Rican Day Parade, Paterson Puerto Rican Historic Society, Co-Chair of the Latino Democratic Leadership Alliance of Passaic County, Advisor to the NJ Dominican American Elected and Appointed Officials Caucus and in past years, as Chair of the Paterson Police Monument Committee, Paterson Disaster Relief Committee, President of the St. Gerard HomeSchool Council, among others.
Undersheriff Cuadrado is a proud father and he is happily married to Carol Cuadrado.