Paramus Police to Get Two More Officers in 2013

Paramus council agreed to get the hiring process in motion to bring on two more officers for the borough's police department.

The move addresses the need for more manpower, which has been at its lowest the past few years due to retirements and a previous hiring freeze.

Mayor Richard LaBarbiera said Tuesday night the borough attorney will prepare the advertisement and will review the hiring process to have it in place in time for the next work session meeting so the process can begin. He commented that the common practice is to hire two officers at one time and the funds have previously been budgeted.

Prior to the hiring of three officers at the end of 2011 there had been a hiring freeze since 2009. Due to the hiring freeze, a wave of retirements and injuries the department had reported in June 2011 its manpower was at its lowest in decades.

Although manpower has been down and calls have gone up, public safety has never been compromised, said LaBarbiera adding that the department has been able to do more with less.

Still to come for the police department is the approval of an ordinance that would outline the promotion process for high ranking officers. The process has been ongoing since 2010.

It was expected to be approved in late December but due to some additional comments that needed to be addressed it has been delayed, according to the mayor. Currently it is being reviewed by the PBA, he said.

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