Police Request No Staff Cuts

Princeton police want at least 56 officers in a new department after consolidation, a higher number than the 51 recommended by the Consolidation Commission last year.

The police’s recommended staffing level is still the lowest number to emerge from three generally accepted staffing models for police departments, according to Borough Police Chief David Dudeck and Township Police Lt. Chris Morgan.

The Consolidation outlined a plan to initially merge both departments next year, but with an eye to culling officers to 51 by the end of 2015.

Stressing that the models presented are simply are merely a starting point for discussions, Dudeck and Morgan last week outlined police needs in Princeton, using 2010 crime statistics (the most recent available) and a combined Princeton population of 30,000 residents.

According to Uniform Crime Reports, Princeton has the highest non-violent crime rate per 1,000 residents in the Mercer County, and the third highest violent crime rate per 1,000 residents in the county. But Dudeck was quick to point out that car thefts in 2010 were all golf carts and Princeton must categorize arson cases as such even if it is criminal mischief like a fire in a garbage can. 

There are three generally accepted ways to calculate staffing models for a police department, Dudeck and Morgan said. These are:

• The minimum number of patrol officers needed to answer calls. In Princeton, this would mean 54 patrol officers, not including any supervisory staff. 
• Chief of Police would determine the minimum number of officers per shift to avoid overtime, based on busiest days, shifts and historical data. In Princeton, this would mean 39 patrol officers, not including supervisory staff.
• The Bureau of Justice Statistics formula is based on the ratio of sworn officers per 1,000 residents. This formula estimates that Princeton would need between 63-81 officers.

Dudeck and Morgan suggest the second model, which, including supervisory staff, would leave combined police department with 56 sworn officers, exactly where it is today.

“We want to keep the special services, keep the traffic unit and the bicycle unit, but we still have to keep the road intact from the start,” Dudeck said. “I think if we use our innovation, we can achieve all of these things.”

But committee member Jo Butler, also a member of Borough Council, questioned why officials are just hearing this analysis now.

“If there was disagreement over our ability to get to the 51, everyone would have liked to have heard that prior to the vote,” she said.  

In November, voters approved merging Princeton Township and Princeton Borough, in large part because of an estimated annual personnel savings of at least $3.1 million a year. 

Dudeck and Morgan said they were not included in the Commission subcommitee discussion when the 51 model was introduced.

Paul Ominsky, executive director of public safety at Princeton University, said the University would like to provide law enforcement services for its property and community. One way to reduce calls, he suggested, would be for Borough Police to stop sending an officer to every medical call on campus- that would reduce call volume by more than 1,000 a year. Having an officer respond, in addition to an ambulance, is not required by law, nor is it something that the Princeton Township or West Windsor Police do, Ominsky said.