Yes - Dedicated officer who SHATTERED his hand in the line of duty - fighting a combative suspect. Young officer now disabled. All peaches and cream in the " Valley "

Isn't there a qualified police officer candidate out there trained and ready to go? Why does it have to be a person right out of the academy? Other towns have cut back on their PDs, why not hire one who could start right away? If overtime is going to cost as much as a salary, get a warm body now to fill the position. Roger, if you put your life on the line every day, you'd want a good retirement package; we all do even for "safe" jobs. The town wants to hire one, maybe two, officers to fill gaps that will open over the next few years. Do you want to live in a town that has an understaffed PD? Just an aside: I do think dispatch should be local and not county.

You should really do some reasearch and find out "Just the facts Ma'am" Mr. Freiday. Each case is unique and yes I am calling you feminie in nature when I quote the Dragnet line

Hey Roger - You have been belly aching for YEARS about the police. Have your tax dollars EVER helped you out. Your a BITTER human being. Give ONE positive example of police esponse to your HOME

Reality Chick - The data about WTPD activity is public information. The NEED for more officers is there. As far as going after PTC certified officers - there are many available, but heres the thing. If you had any knowledge ( which you don't ) about the chemistry of OUR police department and how attitude and mindset effect the mix you would understand the concept of NOT going with " anyone certified ", not to mention the FACT that these men and women have ROOTS here and care. Do you want a former Newark officer ( no disrespect intended ) coming to your home with NO knowledge of the culture ??? As far as officers " hiding " in bushes , contact your township counsel and ask if there is pressure applied to the PD to generate revenue. I would guess these officers don't care to interfere with Washington Township's " Important People " on the way to their meaningful occupations.

Sam, rather than "generating" revenue by going after the young adults in town for minor infractions, how about we cut costs instead? I'm sure one officers' salary will make up the difference.

Sam...data and the interpretation of data are separate. Policy based on data interpretation is separate still. So a NJ State Certified Police Academy teaches individual "culture" classes to each recruit based on the town that hired them? Your individually elevated knowledge of community "chemistry" and sense of "ROOTS" is narcissistic.

Please, are you really that afraid of someone breaking into your home around here?!?
Any statistics to back up your fear?

Point is there is a hiring process. A process that is designed to hire officers that will integrate succesfully into the department and the town. Bringing in someone without that stringent examination will certainly lead to potential issues. This department knows what they are doing.

I agree Hookerman, well stated.

A meaningless statistic because you don't like the police. It's OK, I have seen your posts before. Don't worry, when you call I will still come. I will come as fast as I can, putting my life in danger to get to your sick father or mother when they are having a heart attack (and I will arrive at least 10 minutes or more before the first squad member or medic). I will rush to your choking child. I will treat your panic/house alarm as if someone is truly trying to break in and hurt you, whether real or not upon my arrival. I will rush in to your house if it is smoking and on fire, again well before the first fireman or woman gets there, and drag you out. I will still stay up all night, and I will still touch people with communicable diseases, keeping them away from you and your somewhat ideal existence in your well mapped out development.

I will do all this because I took an oath swearing that I would, an oath to put others before myself and my own family. It is something you will never understand because you have never taken such an oath. You have never and will never put yourself on the line for a complete stranger.

Next comes your canned response about how you like and support the police and have officers in your family, etc. Save it.

Ok Lawrax, as a professional, explain this… If a police force should be based on the number of people in a community, then how come there are rural towns with 2,000 or 3,000 people, with no police force at all??? How could it be that a town can exist with a police/resident ratio of 0/2000???

Now I’m not suggesting that Washington Twp should have no police force at all, or even a reduced police force… but we need a more meaningful statistic than the ratio of cops per residents.

Hookerman, I don't know how those towns exist, nor do I care. They choose not to have their own police force and apparently that works for them. I do, however, care about the town that I live in and I want a police force here. Now the question is always how many police are enough. According to a previous poster there is one officer for every 650 residents, however, according to their own website, there are 20 officers in patrol in the WT PD. So let’s do those numbers again. 18,500 divided by 20 equals 925 residents per one officer. Now these population stats are based on the census, and I'd bet there were some people who don't answer the census, or write in the proper amount of people living with them, e.g. someone here illegally, or living of off a government program where they may lose money. So I bet there are probably almost 1,000 residents in WT per patrol officer (20,000 residents). This does not account for transient offenders.

(Continued) So that number could even be higher. Now having said all that, it truly doesn’t matter when you’re the one going through the door. You see, there are never enough officers when you have to go through the door of the house with the violent domestic, or the suicidal male wielding a knife. At that point you want five, ten, or even 15 officers with you. You will take a platoon, hell, an army if available. So for a fellow officer, who thinks about the angry heroin addict with Hep. B/C HIV/AIDS, who tries to bite him, or the local drunk, who every now and then wants to fight, he will always want more back up. It is a career unlike any other, and there is no way to sympathize or empathize with it or about it. The only way to find out is to do it.

Ok, so Dover has approximately the same population as Washington Twp, approx 18,000 residents. Yet, they have a much higher annual crime rate; 93 burglaries compared to 27... 222 larceny/theft compared to 64... 22 motor vehicle thefts compared to 3.

But based on your point of view, Dover and Washington Twp should have the exact same size police force because the only factor is the population???

No, it was someone else’s; however you called the statistic meaningless. I made my argument, and I will make it again. I think we need as many officers as the chief of police feels is necessary. Now I agree, we cannot have 100 officers; even 50 would be too many. Hell, they are at 28 and that seems to be working pretty well, why not stick with that. My gripe, however, is with those who want the number of officers to be reduced, and I quote you, "doesn’t it make sense to consider staff reductions?"

If a town has one murder every ten years, then based on your crime rate argument, there should be what, one or two officers. Perhaps five? Ten? Population plays a part and you cannot deny that. Officers enforce laws and by doing so protect. They also respond when someone calls, because when you call the police you are saying in essence, "My life or situation is out of control. Please help! Please come and take control back." And that is what a police force does. We control. Criminals want power, the police want control. And if the population or a percentage of it gets out of control (riot, house party gone bad, etc), then citizens call us or the government, on behalf of its citizens, sends the police in to regain control. You need a certain amount of police to do that, so therein lies the officer per person argument.

Anyone who thinks the job of a police force is to “control” the population has a serious misunderstanding of the principles from which this country was built. A country where the police force controls the population is a police state. Nazi Germany and Communist Russia are examples.

Any law enforcement officer who thinks his job is to control the population is, quite frankly, a disgrace to his badge.

C'mon Hookerman, you seem like a halfway educated person. I have seen your posts on here before and normally you come off as pretty logical, however, now you are sounding like another poster I have seen on here. Jumping to the worst possible conclusion. I gave you very specific examples of when the police's job is take control and you immediately fly off the handle with the whole police state thing. Should I throw in some examples of police states as well. Myanmar, Cambodia, etc... we can have a contest who can name the most! You have no idea what makes an officer a disgrace to his badge because a badge is foreign to you. You have never worn one. In fact the closest you came to a worth while badge was probably when you quickly picked up and put down "The Red Badge of Courage." It's a great book, you should read it.

(Continued from above) What you know and what I know is that you don't generally like the police and that's OK, just admit it. You are like most of society. You see us as a necessary evil. What you dont know, however, is that I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom! You weep for Long Valley and you curse the police. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives! You despise us for our daily existence, however, you are not foolish enough to get rid of us all together. Because deep down, in places you don't like to talk about at parties, you want us patrolling your community. You need us patrolling your community! We use words like "honor", "code", "loyalty". We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline! I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very protection that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it! I would rather you just said "Thank you," and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and start a patrol.

If you believe that a police officer's job is to protect you, then you have a very poor understanding of the difference between 'law enforcement' and 'security'.

Hookerman is clearly limited - so its unfair to call him out on his views.

Well, your opinion.
You're confident an intruder would flee and you could handle yourself till police arrive--good for you. That sounds like it's crossed your mind.
And you think armed robbery and/or murder are the only crimes against people? If it's non-existent in LV, maybe we don't need a police force at all!
Hookerman-I think you just have poor understanding.

I like your user name, it can be translated to mean toilet of law, and I believe thats about right where your opinion is. Nice work.

@Liberty - thanks for the correction! It does say "down two full time officers". I read it as "down to two full time officers" by mistake. That makes a lot more sense.

My question remains though - how much OT are the officers incurring, and can anything be done to reduce it? Or are we already managing to strictly unavoidable OT?

Avoidable OT among municipal employees is a HUGE source of financial waste (dare I say 'corruption'?) all across this country of ours. I saw it first hand with the Police, EMS, and Sanitation workers in NYC, and the figures were just staggering. Many people received what effectively amount to "bonuses" via OT amounting to 30%, 50%, 75%, even in some cases 150% of their annual salaries. There was a pecking order for who gets to receive the OT slots, based on seniority and membership in the "good ol' boy" network.

Because a guy with 7 years experience typically does not jump from "patrol officer " to Lieutenant without climbing the ladder. There are no jobs in a police department where an injured employee can put on a skirt and type - like in an office setting.

He can certainly direct traffic. With all of the road work going on around town, that could keep him busy for years.
I find it hard to believe that retirement after only 7 years work experience is the only option.

Hey numbers - your a fool

Simply being honest Stacie. Police officers need to be able to draw a weapon and use it. They need to do various physical things that require the use of both hands. Officer Cecere suffered an injury that makes him incapable of doing those things. Sorry the truth offends you - but there are no desk jobs for a police officer.

Gee, you mean it's not like on TV?

It was an exact replication of the original script. Funny as hell that Lawrax integrated that into this thread. Dopes

Sam--are you calling me a "dope?"

Sounds like he is. As he should - you come off like a dope.

Yes, Liberty...I am worried about that. I have a daughter and I NEVER want her to feel that being a female has anything to do with wearing a skirt and typing (as a stereotype). How can you not understand that? Maybe you don't have a daughter.

Well, Stacie....I do have a daughter in the workplace who would laugh at such a stupid remark. All our daughters are going to hear remarks like that, and worse, because the people making them don't know any better. Consider the source and tell me if you're really going to change his thinking. I don't think he should have said it either, but the main topic was a bit more compelling at the time.

Hey Liberty - what side are you on ???? your responses waiver from one side to the other. Grow a set

WOODY !!!!! Only one on this thread that GETS IT !!!!

And now sexism!

I think laughing at a stupid remark is taking a stand. When we live in a perfect world, those comments won't be made. It's very sad to me that you don't realize that will never happen in our lifetime. And if that man made that comment to your daughter's face, in what manner would you want her to take her stand?

Stacie, a bit of advice from someone who has been in the corp world for many years… your daughter might not be well served by teaching her to run to HR every time she overhears someone say something that offends her. People say stupid things in the office, just as they say stupid things on the internet, and sometimes you have to choose your battles. Also, HR depts are rarely the knights in shining armor that you may think they are. They are often bureaucratic black holes where complaints get lost in the mire. It’s better to teach your daughter how to deal with things herself.

And I should care that I'm not in the majority, why? Actually, other people may have thought so but don't have the guts to say it. Liberty, I'm not looking to win a popularity contest. I didn't feel that was a right comment and that's it. If you're okay with that and would be okay having someone making a comments such as that to your daughter, good for you. I would not be and teach her to stand up for herself. Have a nice weekend.

Liberty, I thought it was a sexist remark too, but like you, I realize comments like that will be made, whether it's to my face or behind my back. I can easily ignore them.

Stacie, while I can respect your fight for equality, I think you will always find yourself disappointed if you "expect" a fair and equal world. One of the first things I teach my own children is that life is not fair and they have to learn to deal with it.