Toms River Officers Ousted From Police Academy Over Missing Documents

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Six people who were slated to attend the Ocean County Police Academy to be trained as Class I special officers for Toms River have been removed from the course because they were missing paperwork from the township, Patch has confirmed.

Lt. John P. Tate, acting director of the Ocean County Police Academy, said the six people were registered for the course but they lacked a form from Toms River that certified they had been hired as special officers.

The Special Law Enforcement Officer Class I course began Monday at the academy, which provides the training without a fee to officers working for Ocean County towns, according to the academy's website. The six were removed from the course, Tate confirmed.

Class I officers are authorized to perform routine traffic details, spectator control and other similar duties, but are not authorized to carry a firearm.

Toms River typically hires Class I special officers on a part-time basis each year for seasonal duties, Police Chief Mitch Little said in January. The department lost 15 Class I officers from last year as they chose to pursue full-time jobs elsewhere.

The township hired seven Class I officers in January, shortly after Mayor Dan Rodrick was sworn into office, and they attended the Class I training.

In mid-January Little said the department needed eight more Class I officers. The six who were to attend the academy training now were in that second group, sources confirmed to Patch.

Rodrick did not reply to a text message sent at 2:13 p.m. Tuesday regarding the matter. Rodrick, Little and business administrator Jon Salonis did not reply to an email sent to all three at 2:13 p.m. Tuesday, seeking comment on the plans for those Class I positions and plans for covering the duties usually assigned to those positions, or for how those officers might receive the Class I training. Other counties' police academies offer training to Class I officers. Some charge a fee for out-of-county officers.