By Victoria Hurley-Schubert, Staff Writer
More than 10 percent, or nine officers, would eventually be eliminated from the police department if consolidation is approved by voters in November.
The reduction would come through attrition and retirements, not job cuts, over a five-year span, said Bill Metro, head of the police subcommittee of the Joint Shared Services Consolidation Commission (JSSCC).
There would be a transitional approach to combining the departments.
”That’s what we are recommending,” said Mr. Metro. “Day one, everyone is needed and consolidated into a single department and the work begins to establish a new police department and to begin to consolidate the departments and technologies.”
The 60 officers currently on staff in both departments and current levels of service will remain, and hopefully be built upon, bringing back some things such as community service/safe neighborhood units that have been cut in the past. There would be no immediate reduction in staffing because consolidation changes would need additional supervision and managerial support.
”There is a lot of work that needs to be done,” said Mr. Metro. “Someone will have to go through existing evidence, property, hard copy records, etc. … there’s a lot of people who want day one to have a small police department, but it’s like blending two houses, what do you with all that stuff?”
Implementation and transition could take three to five years from date of consolidation or shared service beginning. A transition task force, which would include police officers, would be put into place to oversee and define the plans for the transition. Cross-training of officers would also need to take place to get each force used to the other jurisdiction and ordinances.
With two sitting police chiefs, the transition task force would help define the process of who will be chief of a consolidated department, which will be one of the first decisions the group will make.
”One of things that needs to be determined is how we’d name a chief,” he said. “We do need to follow guidelines as to rank and seniority, but the naming of the chief is a process that the new governing body is involved with (if a full consolidation happens).”
Over the first three years, it is anticipated officers will be reduced to 55 and in four or five years, it would be further reduced to 51.
”The goal is to go down to 51 and that may three to five years,” said Mr. Metro. “If there are retirements that take place before that, we will be able to realize that sooner.”
The reductions are forecasted to come from the number of officers in the borough and the township who will be or become eligible for retirement in that time frame.
”The new government would be the one driving the plan,” he said. “That only means they are eligible to retire, it doesn’t mean they will.”
If are retirements are not taken, it will be up to the new governing body to decide how to proceed.
In a consolidated police force, a patrol force of four squads or shifts that would be on call around the clock.
”There’s a net increase in services on day one,” said Mr. Metro. “Right now the borough doesn’t have a safe neighborhoods unit or traffic, there are manpower constrains on those services, but by combining for a more efficient organizational structure, (these services) can be provided with more scheduling flexibility to give those services.”
Once the consolidation work begins within the department, things will begin to fall into place and natural efficiencies will happen, such as eliminating duplicate positions.
”Operational efficiencies will be realized,” said Mr. Metro. “Efficiencies will be realized with the police department under a single command instead of two.”
Some officers will be repurposed or reassigned
Mark Scheibner, a township resident, was concerned with police staffing and how the community is going to be protected while interfacing with the university.
Manpower for deployment and patrol will remain consistent, and the subcommittee looked hard at the calls for service and nature of crime in the Princetons, said Mr. Metro.
A consolidated force would be housed at the township’s facilities because they are newer, larger and technologically advanced, he said.
A consolidated department could realize a savings of about $2 million per year in the three-to-five year term, said Mr. Metro.
In a consolidated department, there would be some up front costs, leveling the salaries, technology updates, new uniforms and repainting of cars and other such things.
If the consolidation vote fails, a shared police department would not be recommended and both departments would continue to function as they do currently. A shared dispatch service would be recommended.
”There will be a one-time cost to implement a shared dispatch service and savings would come from eliminating the duplication of technologies in the two departments,” said Mr. Metro.
The borough’s dispatch center would be decommissioned and the township’s would be enhanced. The township was chosen because it is a more modern, larger facility.

