To the editor:
I am writing a letter to the Cranbury Press this week because I will be away on vacation during a very important Cranbury Township meeting, and I will not be able to speak about the need to move ahead rapidly on the bid for a new home for our Chief of Police and his 16, and soon, 17 men.
Saturday morning I went to our police station to ask Capt. Ed Kahler, who was on duty for the weekend, if he could show me the trailer where all these officers come to work every day. He was very kind and was willing to show me around. Since Larry and I have lived in Cranbury for 37 years and I remember when Capt. Kahler was a rookie watching our neighborhood for speeders on Cranbury Neck Road, I felt comfortable making this request.
I told him that I was going to write this letter but first I wanted more information on actual working conditions in the police trailer.
Everybody deserves to come to work in a place that at least has a desk with a phone and other basic essentials to meet the requirements of the job. There should be a decent washroom and changing room that has a space for personal items and storage for supplies. There should be an exercise room for the men to keep in fit condition for the job. None of these exist in the trailer.
The trailer has very small windows, therefore little natural light comes into the cramped space. Filing cabinets are crowded into corners and are hard to get to. The kitchen room is tiny and doubles as another storage area. Capt. Kahler pointed out that needs for homeland security will place additional demands on the facility.
This temporary police station is abominable and needs to be torn down immediately. Please, citizens of this beautiful town, respect our policemen and come out to support the bid no matter what it costs because waiting is just going to cost our town more. As I see it this is not about money, it is about the safety of our citizens. When our officers are not given the basic space and essentials to do their job, our safety is in jeopardy. The town population has tripled since I first moved here and we have had to hire more policemen. We could not even hire a policewoman if we wanted to, because there is no bathroom accommodation to do so.
The Police Separtment is open seven days a week and 24 hours a day, the only office with this universal service, yet it is the only one that has not been moved or expanded for over 20 years. I pray that we have the foresight to take immediate action.
Florence Kettelkamp
Cranbury
