By Geoffrey Wertime, Staff Writer
SPRINGFIELD The Township Council has approved replacing the position of police chief with a civilian, part-time public safety director, and some community members have come out in opposition to the idea.
Earlier this month, the council listened to over three hours of public comments before voting 4-0 in favor of the ordinance, with Councilman Richard Toone absent, according to Mayor Denis McDaniel.
Mayor McDaniel said residents accused the township of not listening, and asked why the township could not simply make the current officer-in-charge, Sgt. Eric Trout, the chief.
Sgt. Trout has been the officer-in-charge of the eight-officer department since former chief Kenneth Gerber retired at the end of February 2008, and Mayor McDaniel has said repeatedly the change is not related to Sgt. Trout’s performance.
”I think (the residents at the meeting) kind of misunderstood what was happening,” Mayor McDaniel said Monday.
”The purpose of the ordinance is to structure the department so there’s a civilian administrator known as a public safety directorinstead of a uniformed officer, the chief of police,” he said.
”Unfortunately there’re a lot of untrue rumors going around the town that this ordinance would cut police protection, or cut police or (emergency medical technician) services, and make the town less safe,” he said.
”All of those allegations, which are widely being circulated around town, are entirely untrue. People who are against this ordinance are using fear tactics to scare people into believing we’re doing something we’re not doing.”
He said a petition seeking to block the ordinance, as well as a number of fliers implying or claiming the township is abolishing the Police Department or emergency services, have circulated around town.
One flier, he added, identifies its authors only as “residents concerned for our safety,” while another says it is from the New Republicans, a local political group.
Linda Lovenduski, who was a Township Council candidate last year and is a New Republican, said some group members are working on the petition, but the group itself is not officially affiliated with circulating the petition.
The flier bearing their name, she said, is indeed from them, but she disagreed that it was an example of scare tactics.
”Why we’re opposing the ordinance there are many reasons, but we need our Police Department, and to be efficient we feel we would need someone as head of it that can do something,” she said.
”We think more money is being spent for someone that’s really a go-between for the council; they just give the council more authority over the Police Department.
”For all the things (a civilian director) cannot do, I think it’s a waste of money and time,” she added, saying the township should have sought other sources of funding.
Mayor McDaniel disagreed about the finances, saying a police chief would cost the township over $100,000 a year while a public safety director would cost less than $50,000.
However, he has said directly the ordinance would give the council more control over the department.
He has said the township had too little input when there is a chief, especially given the large size of the Police Department relative to the township.
Under state law, a police chief has more control over his or her department than a civilian director of public safety, who oversees administrative matters but is not a police officer.
Mayor McDaniel said the group’s flier “says the ordinance will effectively limit police protection and (emergency medical services) it won’t do that.”
He said the jobs of the eight officers in the department would not be adversely affected by the move, and that, “If anything, I think it would help to save their jobs.”
”This ordinance will not do away with the Police Department,” he said.
”Like every other town in the state of New Jersey, we have severe budget pressure this year and we have to look to everything. The Police Department is our largest department, so how do you address a budget cut without looking at the largest department? Yet when you look at (it) there’s an uprising it’s sacred in some people’s minds. We have to put them at ease.”
The township, he added, does have some candidates for the new position, but the ordinance does not take effect until 20 days after its adoption and no one had yet been hired.
Officials have said the township never appointed a chief after Chief Gerber retired because of the possibility of a merger with North Hanover’s police department. In the spring, Springfield partnered with North Hanover in a police consolidation study, most of which was paid for by the state.
Holman & Frenia P.C., an accounting and consulting firm with offices in Toms River and Medford, is performing the study, which is taking longer than expected but should be done in within a few months.
Mayor McDaniel has acknowledged some residents’ concerns, while also acknowledging that a merger could offer the township significant savings.

