FREEHOLD – Freehold Borough municipal officials will pay $660 in a shared services agreement that involves eight police departments in western Monmouth County and the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office.
During a recent meeting, Borough Council members authorized the renewal of the agreement for the Western Monmouth Active Shooter Training Group.
The participants are the Allentown, Colts Neck, Englishtown, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Howell, Manalapan and Marlboro police departments, and the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office.
This will be the fourth year the training group will be in effect. The initial agreement was authorized for 2018-19, with Freehold Township serving as the lead agency and provider. Freehold Township will continue to serve as the lead agency and provider for 2021-22.
The council’s resolution states the agreement is beneficial to the municipalities by allowing interagency standardization of active shooter response protocols and by facilitating a rapid response and coordination in the event that officers from multiple agencies may be the first responders in neighboring communities for these types of incidents.
According to the resolution, 523 officers will participate and the law enforcement departments will pay a combined cost of $6,518.
Freehold Borough will have 27 sworn (full-time) officers and three special officers participate, for a total of 30 officers in the training group. The amount to be paid by the borough is $660.
For the remaining agencies, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Department will have 120 officers (all sworn) and pay $1,000; Howell will have 112 officers (94 sworn, 18 special) and pay $1,000; Marlboro will have 83 officers (72 sworn, 11 special) and pay $1,000; Freehold Township will have 70 officers (65 sworn, five special) and pay $1,000; Manalapan will have 61 officers (56 sworn, five special) and pay $1,000; Colts Neck will have 23 officers (19 sworn, four special) and pay $506; Englishtown will have 10 officers (seven sworn, three special) and pay $220; and Allentown will have six officers (all sworn) and pay $132, according to the resolution.