Police Chiefs Do Not Support 51-Officer Model
The Consolidation Commission recommends that a combined Princeton Police department reduce from 60 officers to 51 officers over a three year period.
Princeton’s police chief do not support the plan to reduce the number of sworn officers to 51 in a consolidated municipality.
Princeton Township Police Chief Robert Buchanan declined to elaborate on specifics Tuesday, saying he and Borough Police Chief David Dudeck will present their concerns at an upcoming public meeting of the Transition Task Force’s Public Safety Subcommittee.
The issue came up Tuesday, as the subcommittee discussed an issue others have already raised; does the Transition Task Force merely implement the Consolidation Study Commission’s report or re-evaluate the best way to consolidate Princeton Borough and Princeton Township.
Last year the Commission recommended the two police departments merge into a combined force of 60 sworn officers, and then reduce that number to 54 and ultimately 51 officers over a three-year period.
Subcommittee members now want to understand the service levels a combined police department could provide at each different staffing level.
“Is 51 (officers) the same level of service,” asked subcommittee member Jo Butler.
“No,” Buchanan said. “We have varying thoughts on that and how we got to 51 (officers) and we don’t support that as an administration.”
Consolidation Commission members believe despite fewer staff, a 51-officer model would provide increased police services for traffic and neighborhood patrols.
Public Safety Subcommittee Chair and Transition Task Force Chairman Mark Freda said the key will be balancing consolidation savings with service levels.
“The public expects we’re going to save some amount of money, but we need to have a conversation with the police chiefs to make sure the services we can provide are the services that the public wants and needs,” he said.
Winston
10:30 pm on Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Shocking I tell you shocking! Two leaders of the most bloated and over compensated jobs in the municipal budget want to keep more union dues payers on the bloated payroll.
Shocking....who would have thunk?
Bow Hunter
8:47 am on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Winston makes a stupid uneducated comment. Who would have thunk? Shocking.
Winston
9:23 am on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Do the math,..too many cops....if they agree to stop protecting illegal aliens I would support this..until then no way..
Conrad C.
1:16 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Yes, on the surface, don't cut the amount of police. However...we have police blotter after police blotter full of robberies every week, the same criminals with records roaming the streets of the borough and township harassing people, drug problems, loud drunks walking around at night etc. Enforcement is soft. Combine that with the insulated, politically correct local populace that has zero street smarts and you have a virtual playground for criminals in the making. If there was actual enforcement by the local police, if certain connected individuals actually got punished for what they constantly get away with, if the locals got over their own smugness and looked around at what's happening in their own community then things might start to change. Until then, it won't make a different what number of police we have patrolling the streets.
Winston
1:54 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
The blotter only tells a small part of the real crime rate. The police do not release the real data that reveals the realities of illegal immigrants and gangbanger wannabees.
Conrad C.
2:14 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Winston: exactly. There are many incidents and crimes that have been ignored and never mentioned in the media of the blotters.
Conrad C.
3:12 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Winston: About the illegal immigrants, there is an entire underground economy here in Princeton. Hang out in town late at night and you see these guys, many of whom work multiple jobs, coming home on bikes, walking etc. People ignore them. The locals ignore them because these people do the jobs they don't want to do and think they are too good to do. I know a local business owner who wanted to hire local college and high school kids to work during summers. This business owner paid well above what one would normally make in that sort of job as a new hire. This was physical, outside work. This business owner wanted to concentrate on local students to get them started in the work force and pay them well. Well guess what? Nobody lasted beyond a few days! So in the end, guess who the local business owner had to hire? And a couple of years later, some of the immigrants that work for this business owner still work there. Last year I remember walking past a group of high school kids in town. They were all bragging about how they were going to "chill, party and drink" all summer, with their parent's money. Many of these kids don't want to work and there is an inflated sense of entitlement around here that Princeton has a reputation statewide as having.