Princeton Township Police Oppose Consolidation on Cost, Loss of Service

The Princeton Township Police union has said it opposes consolidation and PBA President Benjamin Gering said members worry about potential negative impact to police services, not staffing reductions.

The Policeman's Benevolent Association Local 387 sent a letter last week to township residents outlining its concerns.

“We sent the letter to express to concern about loss of service to the community,” Gering said. “It is not out of fear of losing our jobs or fear of change.”

Following months of study, the Joint Consolidation/Shared Services Study Commission Consolidation Study Commission in May voted 9-1 to recommend Princeton Borough and Princeton Township consolidate into one entity, to be called Princeton.

Voters in each municipality will decide on election day, Nov. 8.

Under the proposal, the Borough and Township police departments would combine with 60 sworn officers and ultimately reduce to 51 officers through retirements and possible layoffs

The Township Police union has concerns over staffing levels, increased taxes and loss of the township department’s accredidation, which offers a discount on insurance.

“At the end of the day we recognize that it’s the community’s decision to make and we’ll continue to provide professional police services to the community,” Gering said. “We simply want residents to look not only at the pros but some of the cons that consolidation could bring to police services in the community.”

Under federal police staffing guidelines, a consolidated Princeton should have a police force of at least 66 sworn police officers.

A Princeton police department with 60 officers would actually have fewer patrols on the street because officers would be deployed to help merge evidence, records and establish joint training, Gering said.

The Township Police’s evidence room is nearly 90 percent full and merging into a new room would probably require four officers, reducing the number of available officers for patrol or investigative services, Gering said.

Township patrols now extend into to the outer boundaries, while borough patrols focus on downtown.

Those different needs led the PBA, which once served both the township and borough, to split into two, Gering said.

“This isn’t about ‘We don’t want to be with the Borough’ or ‘We don’t like the Borough,’ that’s not what this letter is about,” Gering said.

Union members believe consolidation costs would be higher than anticipated and question the annual post-consolidation savings estimate of $1.2 million a year.

The township police department was not built to accomodate a merged department, Gering said. Other costs include updating computer hardware, software and officer equipment, including guns because the two departments use different systems and firearms.

“We have not found any suburban or rural consolidated police departments where the operating budget has decreased and in many cases have found that it’s increased,” he said.

Consolidation Commission members have said they respect the union's decision to express concerns, but disagree with its conclusions.

Even with no retirements or layoffs, a consolidated police department would still be below federal staffing guidelines, reflecting Princeton's low crime rate, said Township Mayor Chad Goerner, a member of the consolidaiton comission

In a consolidated Princeton, a minimum of six patrol officers would be on duty each shift (a reduction of one officer per shift) plus additional traffic and community service would be extended into the borough, where none currently exist.

Mostly duplicate supervisory staff would be eliminated from a joint police force, not patrol officers, and no changes would happen for at least a year to give the departments time to work with a transition team to address logistical issues including training and evidence, Goerner said. 

He said police call volume shows little overlap between borough and township needs, because borough police tend to be most active at night and township police during the day.

“It’s about balancing public safety with having a single line of command and saving $2.1 million a year,” Goerner said. “I think the commission has made a very strong case, resulting in not only significant savings but also improved services and a more accountable governing structure. And I hope that voters on Nov. 8 will recognize why 11 of the 12 elected officials in the borough and the township are in support of consolidation.”