The time is nearing for regionalized police services

EDITORIAL

By Ruth Luse
   "At some point in the future, it would probably be a good idea from a public policy standpoint to consider having a single Valley-wide police department."
   Those are the words of Pennington Police Department Director William Meytrott, whose comments about the current deadlocked police pact talks between Hopewell Township and Hopewell Borough officials were the topic of a story in the Dec. 1 edition of the HVN.
   Mr. Meytrott, looking into the future, also said: "It would appear to me that it would be best to have that department run by a board of police commissioners elected by the people. Or it could be a Valley-wide emergency services commission, which would oversee fire and first aid services as well as police."
   We agree — at least in theory — with Mr. Meytrott.
   The idea of a regional police department is not a new topic. As Mr. Meytrott said, Pennington officials discussed the idea of disbanding their local force and contracting with the township for police services back in the early 1990s. Had they done so, regionalized services already would have been a reality. Townspeople, however, told their leaders they still wanted their own department, so the idea was scrapped.
   Creating its own police department — something Hopewell Borough had for years — would cost a bundle, according to Mr. Meytrott. Costs would include police cars, a headquarters and a communications system. We think Hopewell would be foolish to even consider such an option. If that were the best way to go, Hopewell would have kept its own department.
   For many years, Hopewell Borough also had its own small force. We remember clearly the kinds of things the force had to face. There were ongoing complaints about speeding on North Greenwood Avenue. There were repeated periods of time when juvenile crime, malicious mischief and theft kept local officers on their toes. Incidents similar to ones reported by Hopewell businesses over the past year were common in the borough, even in the 1960s and 1970s. It would appear that it does not make too much difference whether policing is done on a local or regional level. Crime still happens.
   To handle crime and other law enforcement matters now, we think Hopewell should stick with Hopewell Township, unless it has another better scheme up its sleeve. Mr. Meytrott’s idea of a regional force makes the most sense, but we doubt Pennington is ready to consider that idea, even through it is one whose time, we believe, will come.
   The current disagreement about how much it costs to police Hopewell — $318,000 (as the borough sees it) or $500,000 (as the township sees it) — should have been expected. In early March 2004, Hopewell Council approved resolutions for interlocal agreements — one of which was for police services. That pact carried a 5 percent increase. At the time, Councilman Sky Morehouse said he wasn’t totally happy with the pact and would work to "get a better handle on it." Mayor David Nettles agreed, saying the borough would have to come up with a long-range plan.
   So between now and spring, when an outside consultant — Jersey Management Services — is expected to make recommendations to township and Hopewell officials after reviewing the interlocal police agreement, leaders of all three towns should look seriously at the direction in which the Valley as a whole should be going in terms of items like law enforcement services.
   On Jan. 10, 2005, Hopewell Township officials passed a resolution calling for a summit meeting on the topic of sharing municipal services — with an eye toward saving taxpayer dollars by cutting unnecessary duplicated costs. The summit, which was to involve all three Valley towns, was not held, but the idea remains a good one. At the summit, township officials envisioned discussing shared services in areas like police, public works and recreation. The resolution said interlocal service agreements "should be updated to reflect current circumstances and realistic cost-sharing."
   The new year will dawn in less than a month. Wouldn’t it make sense — before beginning the tough job of framing their 2006 budgets — for leaders of our three towns to hold this summit in January or February and see where it might take them? We think so.