The Township Committee this past Thursday passed a budget which allocated $100,000 for new Police Officers, and Police Chief Rob Lawson hopes it will allow him to hire at least 6 more officers. The $100,000, Lawson tells TLS, would cover the salaries for the remainder of the year, and include fees for testing, screening and purchasing police equipment for the officers.
The starting salary for an officer says Lawson is about $35,000 for the year, and hiring 6 officers for a 1/3 of the year would amount to about $70,000.
With the police academy starting in August, Lawson says the department is looking into the option of hiring officers from the RICE list, a list compiled of previously laid off officers.
Several months ago, Committeeman Meir Lichtenstien, who serves as Police Commissioner, presented the LPD and PBA with the RICE list idea, which he said is a good way to have the officers ‘hit the ground running’. Entering the academy in August, could mean officers would not hit the streets until the following Spring.
Hiring officers off a RICE list, would also save a substantial amount of tax payer money, as the officers are already trained by the P.T.C., the Police Training Commission, and would only require in-house training before getting them on the roads.
The flip side however, is that mentalities and strategies exercised by other departments, don’t always prove to be beneficial to the the new department.
The pros and cons are still being weighed by the department, Lawson says.
Lakewood, with a population of 92,843 according to the report, has a current police force of 115 officers, a ratio of 1 officer per 807 residents.
Brick Township, which has a population of 75,072 according to the recent Census, has a force of 125 officers. Toms River, which according to the recent Census has a population of 91,239, has a police force of 153 officers, Chief Mastronardy tells TLS.
Over the last year, the LPD has lost some of its highest ranking officers due to the Governor’s Pension Reform plan which would have eaten away at their hard earned pensions. TLS-CCP.
finally! get these guys more back-up; in this town, they definitely need it!
The starting salary for an officer says Lawson is about $35,000 for the year, and hiring 6 officers for a 1/3 of the year would amount to about $70,000.
The decision to hire more police is correct it itself but if it is based on a $100K township allocationthat will only last untill the end of the year, what will he do next year?
The more officers out there the better.
#2 hit the nail on the head.
It’s like if I saw a commercial for a great lease deal on a BMW for $400 per month and I signed up because I had $400 in my pocket. Well, I don’t know how I’m going to pay the other 35 months I’m contracted for, but I’ve got it covered this month!!
The RICE list might be a good place to get officers from. Just leave the Howell officers in Howell please!!! After the “sensitivity training” they received in Howell, they will never adopt to Lakewood.
Agree with #6. Please don’t hire any former Howell police.
that will need to come from everyones TAXES & a big raise in taxes is a gaurentee telling everyone we got you what you asked for (more officers) but it needs to be paid for by the tax payers. Good luck dealibg with it & i’m getting ready for everyone to say kick them out we can’t afford ANOTHER RISE IN TAXES.
I don’t think you need to worry about that. I believe the RICE list is for officers comprises of officers laid off from civil service towns, which Howell is a Chief’s test town. But, I could be mistaken
So what towns around here a) are civil service and b) have laid off?
Are they expecting Newark guys to commute down here? and if Newark decides to hire them back- are they going to stay? Or go back to their original job w/the higher pay they were getting? Newark just being an example.
I’m not against Rice list, just asking.
we do not need more officers neither does Brick or toms river. Why are we comparing even .Also No mention how much of the population are children and seniors. We sont need more cops we need smart and innovative ways how to fight crime in certain concentraded areas.We can not affors it.
#10…you need spell check and the last time i checked police assist senior citizens and protect the children among many other things. What a ridiculous statement. For clarification, the Rice List is comprised of all laid off officers in the state, civil service towns and chiefs test towns. Each township has the ability to pick and choose from the list, with township residents receiving preference before county and then state residents. It is a very viable option for townships, such as Lakewood, who need trained and experienced officers on the road as soon as possible rather than wait until a recruit has been hired, completed the academy and then completed training within Lakewood, which may take as long as 1 year.
Put it this way, if lakewood was to hire off the rice list, sure they will save money by not putting officers into the academy. Who is to say that as soon as their town that has laid them off is calling that officer and saying that he or she is getting his old job back with his old department, he or she is not going to leave? That leaves us again short of officers and back to where we started from.
#11 Im all for hiring laid off officers but what do you think are the odds that if there offered their old job back that they are going to stay with Lakewodd and not leave us?
we can not afford more cops,there is NO money for it.The department is short staffed due to their own fault as officers looked to protect their pensions. Well The Taxpayers too are looking to protect their hard earned $$$. We can Not afford to pay for more.
I’m with #12 and #13. It’s great in theory and those officers need to get back to work. But, they are going to start at the bottom pay, no seniority when it comes to scheduling, and in an unfamiliar town. What is going to keep them here when their dept call them back?
more police = more tickets for us
not less crime
how sad
#12, 13 15….You may have a point, but how many recruits have dropped out of the academy or how many new officers leave because they cant handle the job or just dont like it. There are risks involved on both sides.
Good. More officers to respond to the scene of motor vehicle accidents. I hope they are howell officers I happen to like them and think they do a fine job.
to more police says:
June 20, 2011 at 2:21 pm
more police = more tickets for us
not less crime
how sad
you have a big problem , don’t violate traffic laws , talking on phone, running stop sighns, red lights ,passing school buses and you wont have to worry about getting tickets!
Where’s the story about (moderated)???? Why do you keep editing my blogs… It’s only the truth, or does that scare you??? Why don’t we all keep lying, that’ll work. We can all live in makebelieve land.
lakewood needs more cops, i heard they send them in august to a police acaemy i hope they hire at least 10. if taxes went up that would be fine i will pay more to feel safe
lakewood has too many cops. In these times when every other town is downsizing Lakewood is adding MORE this is insane! Who is paying for this??
What’s wrong with Howell Police? Obey the law and you won’t get ticketed!!
for you people who do not want more cops out there, you guys will be the first to call if something happens, so when you people get robbed or something else dont call the cops. less cops equals less of a response time and if something seroius happens those minutes could save your life.
howell cops are slackers, #24 uyou hit the hammer on the head lakewood needs to hire more cops, we lead ocean county for the most crime.
To #23 “Lakewood Kid”
Apparently you truly are a kid and haven’t been around long enough to know. I personally have never gotten a ticket from a Howell cop. However it is well known that Howell cops are virulent Anti-Semites. There have been COUNTLESS incidents where they demonstrated this. For that reason, let them stay in Howell…..unemployed!
How do I sign up
Lakewood is the fastest growing city in NJ if so obviously half the population is kids what do we need police to pull kids over.
Besides where are these 115 police I never saw them?
you use the cops for so many things in lakewood they dont have time for to go after the bad guys
To #26 just because you got tickets for not travelling the roads in a safe manner does not make people anti- semites, you need to stop thinking people are against you simply because your driving in an unsafe manner
the propaganda worked “we need more cops” your all saying ,nonsense we dont need more cops ,we need to get rid of some cops ,we have too many cops, nasty cops as well ,get rid of them and get rid of their pensions ,”hard earned pensions” you say ,nobody should get paid if theyre not working ,you dont earn pension ,the definition of pension is un earned look it up in the dictionary
Hey 31 why don’t you do a ride along and then tell me they are not need!
I don’t think the Howell police are necessarily anti Semites.I work with non-Jews only and the Howell police also have a bad reputation amongst my co workers.
Unfortunately LPD doesn’t do ride alongs- too much of a liability because LAKEWOOD IS TOO DANGEROUS.
to 31 ur an (moderated), lakewood is in dyer need of more cops