Township to replace damaged vehicles

Squad temporarily using borrowed cars

By:Vanessa S. Holt
   CHESTERFIELD — Township police are temporarily using borrowed vehicles while they try to replace the three patrol cars that were damaged or totaled on Oct. 12 when a rampaging Army reservist from Fort Dix led local police on a chase that ended with the soldier’s death in a fatal shoot-out.
   One officer on the six-member police force received a bullet wound and another sustained injuries during the incident at the Columbus Farmers Market parking lot in Springfield Township. The two officers are out on leave while they recover.
   Police Chief Dale Cole said the department is temporarily using vehicles borrowed from Bordentown Township and Mount Laurel police and have received offers of additional manpower from several departments in the county, although they have not yet needed to accept those offers of support.
   Chief Cole said the department hopes to receive emergency assistance from the state to help replace the lost and damaged vehicles.
   "It’s important to keep them working, to maintain our quality of life," said Chief Cole.
   In addition to conducting normal patrols, local police have been on increased alert since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
   "People have to be confident that we’re there," said Chief Cole. "Anything is a target today."
   Damage done to two of the vehicles, both 2000 Chevrolet Blazers, is being assessed by an insurance company.
   Another vehicle, a 1996 Jeep, may be damaged beyond repair after it flipped over at the corner of Main and Church streets in Crosswicks when an officer responded to the call, he said.
   "We will repair what can be repaired and replace the others," said Chief Cole.
   State Assemblyman Joe Malone, R-30th, and state Sen. Robert W. Singer, R-30th, have announced they are working on a legislative bill to provide the township with up to $75,000 to replace the vehicles.
   The emergency funding "could mean the difference between life and death," said Chief Cole. Chesterfield police officers are EMT trained and carry defibrillators in their vehicles, he said.
   Chief Cole estimated the value of each vehicle at about $25,000.
   "Incidents like this are few and far between," said Chief Cole. "You never know when they’re coming. You can go from several hours of relative boredom to five minutes of sheer terror."