FREEHOLD — The minutes of two executive session meetings reveal that a consultant hired by the town’s governing body recommended that municipal officials name a police director/officer in charge of the Freehold Borough Police Department.
The recommendation was not followed and municipal officials instead decided to keep the department under the command of a police chief.
The comments by representatives of Jersey Professional Management (JPM) during executive sessions held in January and February 2011 came to light when the minutes of those meetings were released to the public by the Latino Coalition of Monmouth County on Jan. 20.
JPM was hired by the Borough Council to conduct a review of the police department and to make recommendations regarding its operation.
A report that was submitted to the council by JPM has never been publicly discussed and a state Superior Court judge recently ruled that borough officials are not obligated to release the JPM report to the public.
Issues concerning the police department were discussed privately, as the executive session minutes show.
According to the minutes of two executive sessions, one in January 2011 and one in February 2011, a presentation was given by Dan Mason and Al Varga of JPM. According to the minutes, council members decided not to go along with some of the recommendations the consultant made.
The JPM report was prepared as Freehold Borough Police Chief Mitch Roth was getting ready to retire and officials were contemplating possible changes to the organizational chart of the police department.
At the executive session meetings, then Mayor Michael Wilson, council members, Borough Attorney Kerry Higgins and Borough Administrator Joseph Bellina discussed the recommendations made by JPM, which included appointing a police director/officer in charge rather than appointing a police chief, which is the structure the police department has always followed.
The firm’s recommendations also included sharing services with other law enforcement agencies for work such as the police department’s midnight shift, officer training and detective bureau work.
The report suggested appointing a serving captain or lieutenant to hold the combined title of police director/officer in charge for a two-year term. At the end of the two-year term, municipal officials would have had the option not to reappoint that individual if they did not believe he was performing the duties of the job in a capable manner.
JPM’s representatives said that option would be more cost-effective for the borough than continuing with a police chief.
Councilman John Newman asked what the downside of appointing a police director/officer in charge would be.
Varga’s response was, “low morale in the police department.”
Councilman Jaye Sims asked what the reaction of the police department was to the consultant’s report.
Mason said the reaction was “hesitant” and said he believed the governing body might receive pressure from the PBA if officials moved away from naming a police chief.
Councilman Michael DiBenedetto asked what the cost factor would be and was told the study recommended a $10,000 a year stipend (in addition to the lieutenant’s or captain’s regular salary) for serving as the police director/officer in charge.
DiBenedetto said sharing services was mentioned for the police department’s upper management and he was told that might be something to look at in the future, but not at the present time.
In those private meetings, Wilson suggested not following through with phase two of the study. Wilson wanted to appoint Capt. Glenn Roberts as the department’s officer in charge while Roth was away from the department and awaiting his formal retirement.
Roberts took over the duties of running the police department in June 2010 while Roth was using accrued vacation, but was not retired. Roberts was appointed as the department’s officer in charge in April 2011 after Roth retired. Roberts was subsequently promoted to chief and was sworn in to that position on Sept, 19, 2011.
In a conversation with Wilson this week regarding JPM’s recommendations, the former mayor said the council members carefully examined all of the recommendations made by the consultant and were comfortable appointing Roberts as police chief.
“We believe Glenn was right for the job and that having a police chief was the best thing for our town,” Wilson said.
Council President Sharon Shutzer told the News Transcript the study of the police department that was completed by JPM contained recommendations and options, but said officials were not bound by what the consultant suggested.
“We looked at all the options and everyone involved thought a police chief was the best way to go and that having a police chief was a better fit for the police department and for the town than having a police director and officer in charge,” Shutzer said.
Frank Argote-Freyre, the director of the Latino Coalition of Monmouth County, which pushed for the public release of the JPM report, said, “The Latino Coalition has received copies of the minutes of two executive sessions held by the Borough Council to discuss, in part, the police report/study.
"Our purpose in taking up this case has always been to promote transparency in government. In that interest we are releasing the minutes of the executive sessions which shed some light on the facts considered when the council contemplated restructuring the police department. The best government is one that is open and honest with those it is sworn to serve,” he said.