South Bound Brook officers to hit streets as early as Wednesday.
By: Paul Sisolak
ROCKY HILL The Borough Council voted 6-0 Monday to approve an interlocal police patrol program with South Bound, marking the first time in recent Somerset County history two municipalities have teamed up for policing services.
The pilot program will bring South Bound Brook police officers to the streets of Rocky Hill, which has no police department. Officers will provide part-time coverage for a period of 90 days, after which either municipality can back out of the deal or renegotiate the contract.
The patrols should begin Wednesday, said Mayor Brian Nolan, who added that the bulk of Rocky Hill’s police protection will continue to be provided by New Jersey State Police.
South Bound Brook police will provide 50 hours of service a month at a cost of $2,162.50 about $43.25 per hour. Court costs involving patrol officers will be billed at the same rate.
Karen Alexander of Washington Street, wife of Brad Alexander, who was severely injured after being struck by a car while walking his dog Dec. 16 on Washington Street, said she supported the arrangement, but questioned the duration of the patrols, which she said works out to less than two hours a day. Mayor Nolan responded that the program was reasonable as a start-up pilot project and could be expanded later.
The two municipalities recently received approval from the state attorney general’s office to begin patrols, Mayor Nolan said. Before patrolling could begin, the two boroughs were required to gain permission from the state.
The attorney general’s office had forced the program’s launch to be postponed. A July 16 Borough Council special meeting, where details of the program were originally to be revealed, was canceled after the office delayed approval.
The program hit a few other snags following its announcement in mid-May. Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest frowned on the deal, claiming a program requiring easy police access was nearly impossible for two boroughs separated by 15 miles.
Adoption of the borough’s 2003 municipal budget had also been pushed back until the Borough Council could finalize the police program.
"We’re kind of disappointed it’s dragged on for so long," Mayor Nolan said.
Mayor Nolan has said that although other municipalities expressed interest, the borough picked South Bound Brook as a worthy partner because the municipality was similar to Rocky Hill in size and traffic problems.