By Katie Wagner, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY — The Montgomery Township Police Department will not be hiring the additional officer Police Director Michael Beltranena said he needs this year because of the township’s budgetary constraints.
”We will probably have to look at slightly restructuring the organization and reallocating resources,” Mr. Beltranena said.
The police department hired no new officers last year and only hired one new officer the year before to replace one who had left the department. Mayor Cecilia Birge said a salary for an additional officer has not been included in the township’s draft budget for 2008 because Montgomery does not have the ability to increase employees and services this year.
”All our resources will be used to maintain services and fulfill whatever mandates the state hands us,” Mayor Birge said. “We’re not looking to add a single body to township life and that’s particularly true in the police department as we feel that so far we have satisfied the policing needs of the community with the number of officers we have.
”Our police department is an example of an area where we’re forced to sharpen the definitions of what’s critical and what are the basic needs of the community,” she added.
