Just days after a group of Tinton Falls police officers urged the Borough Council to fill the vacant position of police chief, Mayor Michael Skudera made his call.
John Scrivanic Skudera swore in Detective Sgt. John Scrivanic, a 16-year member of the force, as police chief on Sept. 10 at a ceremony at Borough Hall. The position had been vacant since April when former chief Gerald Turning Sr. retired.
Some 20 members of the borough’s police force showed up at the Sept. 7 meeting to express concern that a police chief had not been named in the six months since Turning’s retirement.
Officers in uniform and plainclothes entered the meeting en mass about 10 minutes after the start of the session. Their representatives requested that the administration move swiftly to replace Turning, who was appointed borough administrator in May.
“I would like to thank the mayor and council for their hard work and diligence establishing an ordinance for the position of chief. The Tinton Falls PBA feels it’s important to be led by a chief,” PBA Local 251 President John Talerico told the council.
“I’m here tonight in regard to the questions surrounding the chief’s position, and on behalf of the PBA we’d like to know how the vacancy will be filled and when can we expect it to be.”
The police chief position was eliminated by ordinance when Turning was promoted to chief, and after he retired, the council voted in July to re-establish the position.
Talerico thanked the council for re-establishing the position but requested that the administration move faster in promoting someone to the position and expressed his desire to work with the council and administration in naming a new chief.
“It’s our intention as a local to support the mayor and the town council in regard to this matter, and we’d like to offer our assistance,” he said.
Skudera replied that he wanted to wait until after the 2010 budget was approved before making a decision.
“I want to wait until after the council has approved the budget to proceed with this,” he said. “Any announcements I make will be at the appropriate time.”
In a press release announcing Scrivanic’s appointment, Turning, who is currently borough administrator, commended the new chief for his community service.
“John Scrivanic is highly respected in the community due to his commendable enthusiasm and commitment to numerous community organizations,” the release states.
Scrivanic, who has a master’s degree in administrative science from Fairleigh Dickinson University, joined the force in 1994. He is a member of Police Benevolent Association Local 251. Since his graduation from the Monmouth County Police Academy in 1994, Scrivanic has been promoted through the ranks of both the patrol division and the detective bureau. He was promoted to his previous position in 2004.
Turning cited Scrivanic’s participation in Tinton Falls CURE, Tinton Falls Little League, Tinton Falls Travel Mid-Monmouth Basketball League, Tinton Falls Recreation Boys Basketball and Girls Basketball and Tinton Falls Cub Scouts.
The appointment of chief is a direct appointment by Skudera, meaning that the council does not have the ability to block the appointment.
According to Turning, the appointment of a chief must be made from within the Tinton Falls Police Department, with captain being the position directly under chief.
Turning had stated that there is only one captain, David Trevena, and he was being considered for the promotion.
PBA state delegate Thomas Dennehy said at the Sept. 7 meeting that he was personally disappointed by the delay in announcing the chief.
“We do need a leader; it’s been six months and we’ve not had a clear defined leader,” he said.
Dennehy drew parallels between the police situation and the recently announced retirement of Borough Clerk Karen Mount-Taylor.
“I would like to congratulate Mrs. Mount-Taylor for her retirement and Miss
Maureen] Murphy for your new position,” he said. “It is somewhat perplexing to see this transition go over so smoothly, and for the current one that we are standing here in front of you for, the only answer we get is, when the time is right.
“That’s the answer we’ll have to take and we will be respectful about this,” he added.
A PBA spokesperson could not be reached to comment on the appointment of Scrivanic.
Council President Gary Baldwin and Councilman Andrew Mayer both said at the Sept. 7 meeting that there would be an appointment in the near future.
“Bear with us and bear with the mayor, and we will do it as quick as we can,” Baldwin said.
“I think the council sent a very clear message when we made the approval of that position, so we hope the administration will take that seriously and move swiftly,” Mayer said.
The ordinance approved in July also establishes a cap on the number of officers who can hold certain positions in the police force.
According to the ordinance, there will be one chief, two captains, five lieutenants, seven sergeants and 26 patrol officers.
Turning said previously that the borough has had to update this ordinance to include
cap on those positions because the previous ordinance was written six years ago.
“There were no limitations on the number of people we could have in each position, and there is case law since that was originally written,” he said. “By putting a number on there, it tells the council exactly how much they need to budget for.”
Without a police chief, the department was being run by a civilian director of public safety, Doug Gotfredsen.