In unique arrangement, South Bound Brook will share its force with borough.
By: Paul Sisolak
ROCKY HILL The borough is in the final stages of contracting with South Bound Brook to provide police coverage, Mayor Brian Nolan announced Tuesday at a special council meeting.
This would be the first time two municipalities have engaged in an interlocal police-sharing program in the state, according to a South Bound Brook spokesman.
Mayor Nolan said the two municipalities have been negotiating the idea of a short-term pilot police patrol program for several months and are near finalizing the plan.
"One of the initiatives we’ve been working on is some means by how we can enhance traffic safety and enforcement," he said.
Once begun, he said, the program will assess the degree to which South Bound Brook’s part-time patrolling improves traffic and pedestrian safety. Rocky Hill currently receives police protection from the Wilburtha State Police Barracks in West Trenton.
South Bound Brook Police Chief Robert Verry, in a press release issued Wednesday, said he is conducting a traffic assessment to determine the prime coverage days, times and locations in Rocky Hill.
The goal of the program, he said, is "to assure that traffic control in Rocky Hill meets the current needs of their community while providing increased enforcement to secure the safety and welfare of the citizens."
With a 15-minute driving distance between the two boroughs, the South Bound Brook Police Department will have the task of patrolling both towns with a force of 12 officers.
"They have the sufficient personnel in South Bound Brook to cover Rocky Hill," said Rich Reitman, South Bound Brook’s press officer.
And while Rocky Hill could have sought the services of neighboring municipalities such as Montgomery, Princeton Township or Hillsborough, Mr. Nolan said he petitioned South Bound Brook because of its similarities to the borough in both size and traffic patterns.
"South Bound Brook kind of stood out," he said. "They have similar issues as Rocky Hill and have a main road that sticks out" like Route 518, he said.
Mr. Nolan said the program would also have no impact on property taxes.
"The costs currently being discussed are within the budget," he said.
At least $22,000 has been allocated from Rocky Hill’s 2003 municipal budget to pay for the program. The budget’s scheduled adoption by the Borough Council on May 5 was held off until the borough completes the financing plan with South Bound Brook.
Mr. Reitman said Rocky Hill’s payment to South Bound Brook has not been calculated yet, but would be centered around the quantity of traffic tickets issued to drivers and for other policing expenses.
"It’s more involved than an hourly rate because there are court costs and revenues," he noted.
State Police will continue to patrol the borough during the pilot program and will continue to do so even if it becomes a permanent arrangement, Mayor Nolan said.
"We want to continue the relationship with the State Police," he said.
The mayor first suggested the idea of a municipality providing police patrols at a borough traffic-calming public forum held May 3.
While traffic calming has been a major issue in the borough for years, after borough resident Brad Alexander was severely injured while walking his dog along Washington Street, the resulting public outcry put greater pressure on the borough to take action on the matter.
Further details of the South Bound Brook agreement, Mr. Nolan said, should be available at Monday’s regularly scheduled Borough Council meeting.
In recent Somerset County history, Mr. Reitman said, four police departments have unsuccessfully made attempts to team up Somerville with Bridgewater and Manville with Raritan.
"There have been rather large stumbling blocks," he noted, adding that he hoped the Rocky Hill-South Bound Brook pairing would encourage other town-to-town police teamwork.
"Maybe when other communities see this will work," he said, "it will be a step for other towns."

