Plan To Cut Police Positions Sparks Outrage In Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The Toms River Township Council introduced an ordinance Thursday night that would cut four positions from the Toms River Police Department to pay for eight new emergency medical technicians.

The proposal, which would eliminate two captains, one patrol officer and the media relations specialist, is vigorously opposed by the police department and has since sparked anger in the community, with messages on social media urging Mayor Dan Rodrick to rethink the move.

The police department filled the meeting room Thursday night to show its opposition, and applauded loudly in response to "no" votes from Councilmen David Ciccozzi and James Quinlisk.

Councilmen Justin Lamb, Tom Nivison, Craig Coleman and George Lobman, and Councilwoman Lynn O'Toole voted in favor of introducing the ordinance. It will be up for a second vote and approval, likely at the Jan. 31 council meeting.

The ordinance would reduce the number of captains to one, and the reductions would happen with the anticipated retirements of two current officers. It also would reduce the rank-and-file force from 113 to 112, according to the ordinance, which was posted on the Toms River Township website after its introduction. It would cut the media relations specialist, which had been held by a sworn officer for years but currently was held by a civilian.

The ordinance may be scheduled for a second reading when the council meets on Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. in the L. Manuel Hirschblond Meeting Room at town hall.

Rodrick said the move is needed to pay for the addition of eight community service officers/EMTs. Slow response times have been a persistent concern, especially among barrier island residents, as volunteer first aid squads on the island have shut down in recent years due to a lack of volunteers.

He said the retirements of the two captains would free up about $800,000 that he said would cover the hiring of the eight CSOs to add the ambulance for the barrier island.

Rodrick had the support of Lamb, who said there was a critical need for the community service officers.

"It's painful when you talk about attrition, when it's at the top," Lamb said.

Quinlisk said shifting money by eliminating the two captains' positions was not the way to pay for it.

"We are essentially defunding the police officers," Quinlisk said.

"That's a mischaracterization and you know it. It's a reallocation of personnel," Lamb said.

"We are trying to move that money from the police officers, the first people to every call. Taking away our officers, the captains in charge of making sure everything flows, is cutting off our nose to spite our face," Quinlisk said. "Find another way to fund the CSOs and I am for it."

Rodrick said the township is facing a $3.5 million budget shortfall for 2024, and said eliminating the positions was the only way to pay for the CSOs, who he said are needed immediately.

He argued that because the CSOs are under the police department, it was not eliminating positions.

Rodrick also said he had the support of the police department in making the move, but officers in the audience said the opposite, both at the microphone and in comments as they stood listening to the proceedings.

Toms River's police unions issued letters opposing the move.

"Nearly every legal action against a governing body regarding police action involves a component of failure to properly supervise subordinate employees," wrote Ron Sermarini, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents the supervisors. "The elimination of vital command staff positions would serve to easily substantiate such an allegation."

At the meeting, Sermarini reiterated that the captains' positions are needed to properly supervise the staff, "especially with a department our size."

"We are not an overstaffed department," he said.

He said he supports the addition of CSOs, but said, "They are not police officers. They are not wearing the vest, answering calls," and urged Rodrick to find another way to fund them.

Michael Miller, one of the captains who is retiring, said, "The captains are the ones teaching our younger officers. When there is a serious emergency in town, police are responding first."

"Reducing the number of sworn personnel puts the lives and property of the residents of Toms River at risk," wrote Kenneth Thomas, president of the Police Benevolent Association, which represents the rank-and-file officers. "Please reconsider your proposal to cut the staffing of the police department."

Rodrick said the letters were a surprise to him, saying he had met with the two union presidents "long in advance of this meeting. I was led to believe this was all right."

He also dismissed the complaints, saying, "We're funding more ambulance drivers for the police department. The folks we are bringing on will be coming to your home if someone is having a stroke."

"The promotions are not more important," he said. "We are asking the chief and deputy chief to supervise six people," he said, referring to the lieutenants who report to the captains.

"If I have to make the choice between rehiring or adding another $250,000 position and health insurance and another $90,000 payment toward the pension for each of these employees, $400,000, or putting eight EMTs on the street to answer calls when people are dying, I think the choice is pretty clear."

"It's a tough decision to make, but in this circumstance it's the necessary decision. The people elected me to make the tough decisions," Rodrick said. "I'm always going to put the best interests of the public first."

Rodrick said the sergeants and lieutenants "do most of the work," as supervisors. "Having four people supervise six people is unheard of," referring to Chief Mitch Little, Deputy Chief Patrick Dellane, and the two captains who are retiring, supervising the lieutentants.

Ted Maloney, a member of the police department, said adding the CSOs adds to the number of employees to be supervised, and while the CSOs are supervised by a civilian employee, a police officer supervises the civilian.

"I'm sorry that some folks will not get promoted because of this," Rodrick said. "But I have full faith in the chief and deputy chief. I believe the chief and the deputy chief are capable of supervising six men."

Maloney said the supervisory responsibilities aren't just for the 162 members of the police department; there are 35 Class III officers, who provide security in the Toms River schools, and there are 20 Class I and Class II officers, the special officers who assist with crowd control, traffic details and other lower level responsibilities, and park security officers in addition to the CSOs.

"Those captains do not only supervise our lieutenants," he said. "They are in charge of budgeting, our finances, our purchasing. They are what makes the world go round, they really are."

"Once you take away the span of control and add more responsibility, that's when you get yourself into quite a quagmire," Maloney said.

"This is not about a promotion," Maloney said. "This is a slippery slope. There's always going to be something we need money for, and the public safety budget is the largest in every municipality in the country. It's easy to pull from it. You're basically going to start robbing Peter to pay Paul."

Rodrick also addressed the media relations specialist directly, saying, "I do not believe a public information officer is more important than ambulance drivers."

Jillian Messina, who had been the department's media relations specialist for seven years, spoke at the meeting and said her position entails far more than the "two or three press releases" Rodrick referred to in dismissing complaints about cutting her job. Messina has been a key part of organizing a number of events the department puts on yearly, including the National Night Out, Police Youth Camp and Vest-a-Cop events, and managed all of the department's social media accounts, in addition to answering inquiries from the news media.

"I have helped to raise more than $600,000 for the department so the township doesn't have to find that money," she said. "I think I have more than paid for my salary."

"You want to take two captains away. Do you even know what they do?" she asked, noting that senior officers bring their wisdom and experience to guide young officers who are new to the force. "Find a grant and find the money."

Messina was fired Friday, she confirmed to Patch.

While Rodrick pointed out that Messina was a civillian employee, she had succeeded a sworn officer: Ralph Stocco, who had been the public information officer in addition to other job duties. Stocco retired from the force in 2017.

Philip Brilliant asked Rodrick to explain the financial breakdown, pressing to know if more officers were being cut to cover the cost of the CSOs, and Rodrick countered that hiring them with no cuts because of the $3.5 million shortfall would require a 5 percent increase in the property tax rate.

Rodrick also insisted that the addition of the eight CSOs, which are under the supervision of the police department, was not a cut to the police force.

"You're not being 100 percent honest," Brilliant said. "This is something that needs to be studied and looked at. I don't know why in 18 days we feel we have to do the world's work. I know God did his work in six days and rested on the seventh, but you're no god and it's not going to happen."

"Eighteen days. We are making dramatic changes here," Brilliant said.