Politics & Government

Christie, Sweeney Try to Drum Up Support for County Emergency Services

The Governor and State Senate President came to Gloucester Township Wednesday.

Consolidation of Camden County police and fire services could begin as soon as four to six months from now, local and state officials said Wednesday.

But not likely in Haddonfield, according to Mayor Tish Colombi who also attended a meeting at Camden County College on Wednesday featuring the state's top Republican, Christie, and Democrat, Sweeney.

"I think this is a moment that we have to look for efficiencies in policing, both in terms of effectiveness of the policing and also cost," Christie said during a post-meeting press conference.  The meeting of officials was not open to the public.

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Christie and Sweeney both dismissed the notion that residents in affluent towns would resist police and fire service regionalization.

"We have more government (in New Jersey) than you can possibly imagine having, or need," Sweeney said. "The time is now to start looking at things differently."

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Sweeney (D-West Deptford) noted the average annual property-tax bill in New Jersey stands at $7,200.  The average taxpayer in Haddonfield pays $12,000 a year.  But Colombi said resistance to a countywide police and fire force has more to do with a small-town identity. 

"I can’t say that I think this is the best thing for our town," said Colombi, who has served on the borough Board of Commissioners for the past 25 years. "Camden County is a lot of little towns and a few big towns.  We've been sharing services and cutting cost for years.  We do it with our fire department, and our police haven't had a raise in two years. I'm not convinced it's the right thing for us, but I'm always willing to listen."

Commissioners Ed Borden and Jeff Kasko have both said exploring regionalization is worth the effort but are concerned about how such an arrangement would work. Colombi was the only Haddonfield commissioner at the meeting on Wednesday.

While serving as Gloucester County's freeholder director, Sweeney spearheaded an effort to consolidate ambulance services, bringing most towns into what he described as a better service.

The former union leader knows it will not be easy to bring about regional police and fire services in Camden County.

"For people to say it can't be done—they're wrong," Sweeney said. "It can be done."

Thirty-five of Camden County's 37 municipalities were represented at the meeting at Camden County College, officials said. Tavistock and Pine Valley—two small, golf-course communities—were not represented.

"I wanted all of the mayors—and there were Republicans and Democrats in that room—to understand that I am completely supportive of this project," Christie said.

Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. indicated he expects regionalization to begin in four to six months. Two committees have been formed to examine police and fire service consolidation options, he said.

"That is not to demonize those who currently serve in those roles," Cappelli said. "The matter of fact is that municipalities throughout the county and across the state are laying off police officers, they're laying off fire personnel."

A local government wishing to bring its town under the protections of the regional police and fire service would first have to dissolve its own departments, then enter into a shared-services agreement with the county.

The move would not require a referendum.

The all-Democrat freeholder board facilitated Wednesday's meeting, as well as several others this year.

County mayors, including Collingswood's Jim Maley, indicated they do not expect regionalization to happen overnight, or to initially involve all of the towns it may ultimately include.

Maley expressed his hope local officials will be given the opportunity to do what they feel is right for their towns, including the possibility of joining the regional police force but opting to keep its own fire service, or vice versa.

"I want all of the options on the table," he said.

The New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJACP) is concerned the public answers elected officials are giving about regionalization plans aren't mirrored by what's actually being discussed behind closed doors.

"I can confirm that there is a very strong push for a single countywide (police department) in Camden County," NJACP Executive Director Mitchell Sklar said in an e-mail. "It has been, and is being, discussed and is in fact being advocated by very influential political players."

NJACP would like to see a smaller scale shared-services effort succeed before a countywide police force is put into place.

Gloucester Township Mayor David Mayer has expressed interest in exploring ways to save the townshipmoney through regionalization efforts, including equipment-purchasing cooperatives, but expressed misgivings about larger towns like his disbanding their local police forces.

Somerdale Mayor Gary Passanante hopes county residents, including police officers and firefighters, will remain "open-minded" about the regionalization proposal. He noted many smaller municipalities are "already working regionally, but paying locally" through mutual-aid agreements.

"I don't believe the solution will be eliminating municipalities and their identities," Passanante said. "That's why people move to different municipalities. They want that identity. They want that local planning and zoning capability.

"What I do believe will happen is the successes like we have here in Camden County with 911. We have a central dispatch. It has worked. It has saved money."


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