By Stephanie Prokop, Staff Writer
CHESTERFIELD — The Police Department has officially cut its ties with the state police, electing to provide its own police coverage to the rural township.
The township has been equipped to handle all crimes and car accidents itself since Sept. 15, said Police Chief Kyle Wilson on Monday.
The department has 10 full-time police officers, and one part-time officer.
The Burlington County prosecutor’s office will assist the township department if needed, in cases or either murder, rape, or if there is a potential of criminal charges from any incident.
In order to get the Police Department ready for special crimes investigations, Chief Wilson said two sergeants from the department attended a special crash investigation school, which put them in classes for about nine weeks, including a fatal accident reconstruction.
Another sergeant was also sent to criminal investigation classes, which primed the department on handling the intricacies of a crime scene, and provided training with the interviewing and the interrogation processes.
According to the Uniform Crime Report statistics, there had been no fatal accidents within the township during 2007, but there had been one rape, a crime that state police would have formerly investigated.
Chief Wilson said that when the state announced it planned to charge rural townships for their share of the state policing services, the township met with the prosecutor’s office to determine what steps they had to take.
“When we met with them, they let us know what classes they would like to see us take, so we could be better equipped to handle certain situations,” he said.
As of Dec. 15, 15 municipalities in Burlington County will have to decide whether they want to make payments to the state for the services or explore alternative means of patrolling, either through consolidation or self-sufficiency.
Locally, Fieldsboro, Chesterfield, New Hanover, North Hanover and Springfield receive assistance to their police departments due to their small size.
Chesterfield would have had to pay $94,477 to the state if it elected to continue receiving part-time state assistance.
In 2007, it cost the state $80 million to provide police service to 89 municipalities, and when the budget was introduced this year the state expected to seek $20.5 million in partial reimbursement from the towns, according to a spokesman for the state Department of the Treasury.
During the budget process and discussions with the Legislature and local towns, that amount was lowered to $12.5 million.
Mayor Larry Durr had said earlier this year that the township had seen “the writing on the wall,” and had been working hard to establish self-sufficiency.
Chesterfield is the first township in Burlington County to cut ties with state police coverage since the fee was proposed. Mansfield axed ties with their state coverage in 2007.
The only area where the state police will still patrol is the New Jersey Turnpike, which runs through the township.

