Two-wheeled justice

Motorcycle buy aims to address illegal activity in preserved areas

By: Rebecca Weltmann
   PLUMSTED — In an effort to discourage illegal activity on preserved land, the Township Committee last week approved a resolution to apply for an interlocal service agreement with Manchester and Jackson to buy a police motorcycle.
   The resolution allows the three townships to enter into a feasibility study funded by the Department of Community Affairs, which would determine the specifics of the agreement and which would be the lead agency to bill the other two towns. The study, part of the DCA’s SHaring Available Resources Efficiently (SHARE) program, would also determine a patrol schedule and where the vehicle would be stored.
   Under that grant, the state would cover the costs of hiring a consultant to determine the effectiveness of the program, as well as what type of bike to purchase. The second phase of the SHARE program is the implementation of the service grant, which Mayor Ron Dancer said could cover up to 90 percent of the sticker price, as well as any needed training.
   According to Mayor Dancer, the agreement itself is part of the townships’ efforts to help patrol not just but the towns’ streets, but their vast stretches of preserved land as well.
   "A small element of the population has decided that preserved land appears to be a safe haven for illegal activity," Mayor Dancer said. Many people use preserved land for recreational use, such as riding dirt bikes, summer parties and bonfires, and for drug dealings and underage drinking, he said.
   "Once you preserve land, you need to patrol it to ensure that there are not illegal activities going on," he said. "We have to keep off dirt bikes and other things that might destroy that land."
   A motorcycle, he said, is ideal, since it can get places other types of vehicles cannot.
   Lt. George Titko said that while he did not want to get into specifics of the agreement until after the details were worked out with the other two towns, he did say that having a police motorcycle would be an appropriate way for dealing with illegal activity on preserved land.
   "All of these places of preserved land we were unable to reach by vehicle without risking damage to the vehicles," Lt. Titko said. "It’s thousands of acres of preserved land and we didn’t get out there very often due to the fact that to get there we’d either have to walk or risk damaging our police cars. Having a motorcycle would allow us to better patrol that area."
   Having an interlocal service agreement with Jackson and Manchester, he added, would be an effective way to save money for all three townships, and added that the Plumsted Police Department is still working out the specific details of the agreement with the other two towns.
   Interlocal service agreements such as this one are part of a statewide effort to ease the burden of property taxes in New Jersey. An effective service agreement brings financial benefits to all the municipalities involved. The lead agency would be able to add revenue from the towns it bills for services, while the towns being billed can utilize that service without paying for its own full-time employee or equipment, Mayor Dancer said.
   "(It’s) difficult to patrol those areas because the trails are not conducive for four-wheel police vehicles," he added. "This needs to be addressed, and will be addressed."
   He added that he expected the feasibility study to begin by August, and be completed by September. By mid-September, Mayor Dancer said he hopes to have the bike purchased and the patrolling underway.