BY COLLEEN LUTOLF
Staff Writer
“I said ‘I believe we have a verbal commitment.’ I said that both times. ‘I believe.’ There’s a big difference.” Stephen C. Acropolis BRICK – Township Councilman Stephen C. Acropolis said he’s been misunderstood.
Several local newspapers including the Brick Bulletin quoted Acropolis as stating at the Aug. 15 council meeting in Normandy Beach that he received a “verbal commitment” from Police Chief Ronald Dougard and acting Business Administrator Scott Pezarras to have an increased police presence on the barrier island this winter.
Acropolis clarified his statements later last week.
“I said ‘I believe we have a verbal commitment,’ ” he said. “I said that both times, ‘I believe.’ There’s a big difference.”
He later provided the minutes to that meeting to support his statement.
Acropolis states, according to the minutes provided by the Municipal Clerk’s Office: “… One of the things that I think we’ve come to the agreement of is that what they’re doing now, they can do throughout the winter. So the way the substation is manned now, we have a guy go down there, checks in, does his thing, goes out on patrol. In talking to the chief tonight and administration, without getting an official in-writing memo, I believe we have a verbal commitment from them to continue to do what they’re doing 24/7, 365 days a year … so I think that is going to take care of your concern.”
Days after the council meeting, police and administration officials said the issue was talked about at a council Public Safety Committee meeting, but that no commitment was made.
The “misunderstanding” made headlines and left the barrier island Brick residents, who showed up to the beachside council meeting armed with a petition with 400 signatures for an increased police presence on the island during the offseason, asking for another meeting.
On Aug. 30, they got one, but township officials won’t say or confirm possible solutions to the barrier island residents’ issue.
Mark Ellsworth, the Federation of Beach Associations of Brick Township president, said one such solution was to share patrol of Brick’s portion of the barrier island with Mantoloking Borough.
“There were other things not talked about during the meeting,” he said. “Somebody brought up us having our own force out here. We’re not in police business. The simplest and probably the most logical solution is just to share with Mantoloking and maybe Bay Head as well.”
Police wouldn’t comment specifically on what was talked about at the meeting.
“We’ve discussed many things, including researching these things,” said the police department’s public information officer Capt. Douglas Kinney. “However, I’m not commenting on that. We had a brainstorming session. We threw out a bunch of different ideas. A lot of things we discussed. However, nothing was discussed to a point where we’re in a position to make it public.”
As of now, there is no increased policing of the barrier island, he said.
“We’re continuing to police the barrier island as we have in years past,” he said.
Police patrols are sectioned into seven districts in Brick. The barrier island is included in the southern-most district, which includes Mantoloking Road and Drum Point Road.
Ellsworth and the 1,400 residents he represents would like the Brick police annex located in the parking lot of Used to Be’s that sits between Routes 35 north and south to be manned all year round.
Pezarras has said designating additional police power to the barrier island, which receives less than 1 percent of all the department’s received calls, would not be a wise use of assets considering budget restraints and the limited amount of police officers on the force.
“Our point is this,” Acropolis said after the meeting. “The dialogue opened up the first step in a long process. There are a couple things we’re going to look at.”
“Something will happen,” Ellsworth said. “We’re not going to let go. We’re like the little kid attached to the apron string.”
Once the police flesh out some ideas brought up at the meeting, which was attended by that was attended by Mayor Joseph C. Scarpelli, Dougard, Acropolis, Councilman Anthony Matthews, Kinney, Ellsworth and members of the association, Ellsworth said they would meet again, probably by the end of this month.
Ellsworth said he also has a meeting scheduled with Sen. Andrew Ciesla to discuss the issue.
“We try to meet with anybody who has a say in what goes on in Brick,” he said.