The Edison Township Council’s public safety committee will be meeting with members of PBALocal 75 to discuss potential changes to the police promotion system.
“The process has to change,” Councilman Robert Karabinchak said.
The councilman called for the meeting after members of the PBA approached the council Dec. 28 to voice concerns about a proposal to extend the police sergeants list for two more years. The list, based on the results of civil service exams, is a guide to which officers are eligible to be promoted to sergeant. The council ultimately voted in favor of extending the list, which will now expire on Jan. 7, 2013. Councilman Dr. Sudhanshu Prasad cast the lone vote against the extension.
Councilman Thomas Lankey initially introduced the amendment for the extension of the list. He said he felt it was only fair to the approximately 30 officers on the current list, as they had made an effort to take the test and the course for the sergeant position.
“What happened was, when [MayorAntonia Ricigliano] came into office [in 2010] and announced the roll backs [of police and fire promotions], the officers who were on the list didn’t even have a chance for promotion,” Lankey said. The sergeants who were demoted to patrolman during the roll backs are at the top of the list for promotions, he noted.
PBA President Salvatore Della Fave said extending the list would be unfair to the department’s 89 patrol officers, many of whom would like to be eligible for promotions. He said providing the promotion exam to the officers would cost approximately $10,000, which would be a minimal expense when compared to the township’s cost to defend itself from lawsuits.
“We want what is fair for everyone,” Della Fave said.
Chris Teleposky, vice president of the PBA, said the officers understood that they had to wait two years for a possible promotion when the test was administered to them two years ago.
“Now they will have to wait four years, and that is unacceptable,” he said.
Teleposky said the amendment will take a major toll on morale and may result in lawsuits that could have been avoided.
He noted that the promotion process in the township has been a volatile one over the last few years and has generated a number of lawsuits.
In 2010 four Edison police officers sued the township after being demoted. They had been promoted in November 2009 by then-Mayor Jun Choi, but when Ricigliano took office the following January, she rolled back police and fire promotions in order to save Edison more than $200,000 in salaries.
Lankey said he respected the opinion of the PBA members.
“They made a number of valid points and we do have to look at the process,” he said. “The administration, the PBA, and the council will meet very shortly to discuss the matter.”
Della Fave said the PBA does not object to holding discussions on modernizing the antiquated process.