State police set to move into former Municipal Building
By: Purvi Desai
MILLSTONE The Township Committee passed an ordinance last week to authorize a license agreement that would allow the state police to use the premises at the former Municipal Building on Millstone Road as the site for its newest satellite office.
The ordinance, passed on Oct. 18, is the final step in a yearlong effort by the township to move the state police into one of the town’s infrastructuresbuildings. Last year, the Sstate Ppolice started to occupy trailers located next to the DPWDepartment of Public Works’ yard on Perrineville Road and Stagecoach Road.
The township, which has no police department of its own, is patrolled by state police officers dispatched from Hamilton, which is 30 minutes away.
"We approached the state police in order to try and have more presence in the township," said Committeeman Elias Abilheira on Tuesday. "We offered to provide facilities (at no cost) for them to set up computers, rather than having to return to the barracks."
He said the Sstate Ppolice will move into the building within a few weeks, after a door and lock is installed on the room that they will occupy, and added that the computer terminals have already been installed and aare ready for use.
"We had to enter into a formal agreement because they’re using our space," Mr. Abilheira said. of the state law that allowed the State Police offices to occupy the township’s premises. "There’s no charge for it. We just had to formalize the fact that there are tenants in the building. The Sstate Ppolice have their own computers, and we handle running the necessary the computer lines into the building."
He said with that having a Millstone office means Sstate Policetroopers will be able to stay in Millstone and use their computers here to process work and information infrom their computers from Millstone, instead of having to drive back to Hamilton.
The Office of Emergency Management is also located in the former Municipal Building, as are the township’s court facilities, he said. Mr. Abilheira said the Sstate Ppolice will occupy only one room in the building.
"The key is we have them in there, with also the OEM," he said. "With both of them in the same building, they can coordinate (during an emergency) and utilize those spaces well. We’ve increased their man-hours in town. It saves the Sstate Ppolice from having to head back to the barracks unnecessarily."
Lt. Brian McPherson, the newly appointed commander of the state police barracks in Hamilton, was on handintroduced himself at the Oct. 18 Township Committee meeting to introduce himself and said that police services will be much easier to provide once the troopers in installed incan use the Millstone building.
He took over command of the Hamilton Barracks on Aug. 18, and said the establishment of the satellite office was a collaborative effort on both the by the township’s and state police, ‘s behalf, andwhich will make the troopers be more visible in Millstone.
Lt. McPherson said that once the building’s ready, that when state police move into the court building on Millstone Road, it troopers will be able to respond swiftly to residential calls and always be in the vicinity for any other emergencies. He said he has already started to make changes in the way Millstone is being covered, such as assigning troopers to be present near schools when classes start and dismiss for the day to help keep the children safe. and is studying more ways to improve security in the town. For one, Lt. McPherson said he has assigned troopers to be present in the mornings and afternoons when schools start and finish for the day, so that children can be in and out of schools safely.
Second, he said his station is in the process of acquiring speed detector lasers asbecause the roads in Millstone are only two lanes one lane for bothin each direction sides and and that they poses difficulties when police try to back up turn their cars around and pursue motorists. "It makes it hard for the guys to do what they do," Lt. McPherson said. "It’s hard to pull over people, it’s a little bit tough and unsafe."
Lt. McPherson said he previously worked at the Sstate Ppolice’s division headquarters in wWest Trenton, and was on the governor’s security detail prior to that. "It’s a challenge and a good opportunity," he said of his new position at the Hamilton Barracks. "There are a lot of good people to work with. I like a challenge."
He said he wants to be more available for providing service and protection to Millstone residents. The Hamilton Barracks’ crew covers half of the town, while the Allenwood Barracks in Wall Township covers the remainder.

