At the town’s request, the state Department of Community Affairs has been performing a work force study of the department, a police force that Mayor Lempert wants to shrink to achieve promised sa
By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert and the council expect later this summer to get a state-issued report looking at how many officers the police department should have, a document that could have pitfalls for local officials and the police force.
At the town’s request, the state Department of Community Affairs has been performing a work force study of the department, a police force that Mayor Lempert wants to shrink to achieve promised savings of consolidation.
In 2011, the Consolidation Study Commission, the body that studied and recommended a merger of the two Princetons, called for reducing the department to 51 officers — a move that would save around $2.1 million annually. She has been firm about meeting that recommendation, one that would provide the lion’s share of consolidation savings.
”I still believe that 51 (officers) should be our ultimate number,” Mayor Lempert said Friday.
Town Administrator Robert W. Bruschi said Friday that Princeton asked for the state to do the “impartial” analysis of the department for the town. The town is not paying for the study, a document he said is expected to be provided in a couple of a weeks.
One unanswered question is what will officials do if the report says the town needs a police force greater than 51 officers. At the moment, there are 54, but only 48 available for duty due to maternity and sick leaves.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Community Affairs did not return a phone call seeking comment.
”Obviously, there’s a need to look at both public safety and at cost. But I think it’s important to recognize that if the number is not 51, then we’re going to have a much more difficult time reaching the financial projections outlined by the Consolidation Commission,” Mayor Lempert said.
”Well, I think that the numbers ought to be what they should be to make sure we have the right force to meet the needs of the community but that we’re also taking advantage of all the efficiencies provided by consolidation” Councilwoman Heather H. Howard said on Wednesday.
Ms. Howard, the town’s police commissioner, sits with Mayor Lempert on the council’s Public Safety Committee along with Councilman Lance Liverman. For his part, Mr. Liverman said Thursday he felt it “too early” to tell when asked his view of that the right size of the department should be. He said safety must come first.
Police Detective Ben Gerring, president of the Princeton PBA, declined Friday to say how many officers his union thought the department should have.
The DCA report is the first of two reports that will look at the police force. The town is expected to hire an outside consultant, the Rogers Group, to do a review of the operations of the police force and recommend different leadership options.
Though he technically holds the position, Chief David J. Dudeck has been on extended medical leave and has not been at work since the end of February. At the time, he was facing allegations of administrative misconduct. In April, he and the town agreed that he would retire from the department in October.
Capt. Nicholas K. Sutter has been running the department in his place.