I read the article about the layoff of two of Matawan’s police officers (“Matawan cuts police to stay under cap,” Jan. 27) with sadness and concern.
First, let me say that I have had the pleasure of working with both of these young men. Both are kind and compassionate and take their job of protecting the citizens of Matawan very seriously. At a time when there is a rise in crime in all towns, I feel that it is a dangerous decision to lay off police officers.
Several years ago, when the decision was made to lay off dispatchers and have our police, fire, and first aid calls answered by the county 911 system, we placed additional responsibilities on our police officers. Do you know that if you go to the police department before 8:30 a.m. and after 4:30 p.m., no one is there? You have to utilize the phone to contact the county desk. They then radio to a police officer to meet you there. Now, this may be fine at, say, 5 p.m., when you want to complain about a barking dog. But at 3 a.m., if someone is in danger, an officer needs to respond as quickly as possible. With the reduction of officers being available, this is cause for great concern.
We have all seen and heard the reports of increased gang activity, with all towns in Monmouth County having some level of this activity taking place. We have also seen an increase in police officers being shot all over the country, and hitting very close to home with the tragic death of a Lakewood police officer. A decision to cut two police officers from our force is one that should be taken very seriously by not only our public officials but by each and every member of the community of Matawan.
I find it unfortunate and disturbing that such an important issue would be added to the agenda of the town council meeting at the last minute, as I am sure this had a direct impact on the response from concerned citizens regarding such an important issue. We all have a say in how our tax money is being spent. Each and every citizen of Matawan has the right to review the budget and have any issues or concerns addressed. There has got to be other spending that can be cut that would not impact the citizens of Matawan in a dangerous way.
With the recent plan of the governor’s to have each town utilize a best-practices tool kit to ensure that spending is efficient, and that both safety and ethical practices are being followed or a loss of state funding could take place, now is the time for each and every one of us to take an active role in how our money is being put to the best possible use.
I have sent our mayor several emails outlining my concerns and offering to volunteer in any way to see that we do not lose funding and to also research where additional dollars might possibly be found. As an example, Matawan is one of only a few towns that does not have a Substance Abuse Alliance. At a time when illegal prescription drug use is on the rise with our teens, we need to have an alliance available to our kids. Dollars are available to support providing this service — granted, not a lot — but we have not taken advantage of this.
I would like to suggest that the citizens of Matawan come together to forma task force that would support our elected officials in reviewing our budget and conducting research in an effort to secure additional funding for our town. We cannot afford to have the safety of our town jeopardized by the reduction of our police force. If you are a citizen of Matawan and this is as much a concern to you as it is to me, let’s talk. I am including my email address, andmy hope is that I will hear from you. Let’s work together to support the mayor and council in finding ways to ensure the safety of all of Matawan’s residents.
Michelle Gorman-Fisher
Matawan [email protected]