"I went to nursing school at first, but I was always waiting for my shot to become a cop," Dall said. "That's all I ever wanted to do."
Dall's persistence paid off, because she eventually became a police officer in her town. Dall worked her way up the ranks, serving as one of the township's DARE Officers and became an investigator for the Juvenile Aid Bureau.
Last week, the 34-year-old Dall earned another distinction, becoming only the third female in the township's history to earn the rank of detective.
Dall and fellow officers Mark Francin and Enrique "Henry" Marrero were promoted from patrol officer to detective in a ceremony held in North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco's office last week.
The trio of new detectives received their new badges and were sworn in by the mayor.
"I am very proud of all of you," Sacco said at the ceremony. "Your commitment to North Bergen and its residents is greatly appreciated, and your promotions to the rank of detective is well deserved."
Dall, who joined former Detectives Debra Cummins-Curry and Marianne Clark as females who earned the rank in the township, said that she never has considered herself different for being a woman.
"I never look at it that I'm a female," Dall said. "I'm a cop and it's what I do. I don't think of it that I'm any different because I'm a woman. I never had anyone ever make me feel any different. I just want to make sure I keep doing the same job."
Dall, who has been on the force since 1998, also did work in suicide awareness and just recently did the investigation to solve a homicide.
Investigative work is what intrigues Dall the most.
"You get to use your brain a lot more and I like that," Dall said. "Every day is a learning experience."
North Bergen Police Chief Angelo Busacco said that it is important to have female detectives on the force, because they are a huge help when it comes to sexual assault and domestic violence cases.
"It is essential to have a detective like Christine, because she would be instrumental in gaining valuable information from victims that a male detective might not be able to receive," Busacco said. "She's been very instrumental in solving many cases in the past, and she's very deserving of the promotion."
Dall said that she does have an upper hand in incidents that involve women.
"I don't know the phenomenon, but they tend to open up to me," Dall said. "I think I'm able to make it easier for them. Maybe I have a softer voice. Maybe they feel they can trust me more. I definitely try to use that to my advantage. It also helps with guys as well, because I tend to get more confessions."
Dall said that she gets more out of conducting investigations than any other police work and in fact, just completed a class at the Somerset County Police Academy about criminalistics.
"I will be able to use my skills more," Dall said. "It's what I do best."
Francin and Marrero
Francin and Marrero have been involved with the department's new Street Gang Bureau and the pair was influential in the recent arrests in the Latin Kings attempted murder case.
Francin and Marrero, both 30, were former Hudson County Sheriff's Officers and investigators who were hired by the North Bergen Police Department in 2002. Francin was also a dispatcher for the North Bergen Police Department for five years before moving on to the Sheriff's Office.
"Without question, all three are deserving of the promotion," Busacco said. "I think having diversity [hiring a female and a Hispanic] is a key to having a successful department. We have a good cross section of the community representing our department."
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