Vote on Firm Chosen for Police Shared Services Study Expected This Month

Representatives of the Colonial Alliance, a group of Camden County towns seeking to save money on police administrative services, have chosen a contractor to complete a study on how to do just that. A vote is expected in six of the alliance municipalities this month.

The Center for Government Research of Rochester, NY, beat out two other firms, including one based in Haddonfield, as the choice to do the study, according to Sharon McCullough, Haddonfield's borough administrator. She was part of a group of representatives from the towns to chose CGR. Municipal elected officials must ratify the choice.

Haddon Heights has decided to not participate in the study, even though it was one of the original seven towns in the alliance. The remaining towns are Audubon, Collingswood, Haddonfield, Haddon Township, Oaklyn and Mount Ephraim.

Three companies bid on the job in August:

• Matrix Consulting Group of Mountainview, CA ($45,000) 
• Center for Government Research of Rochester, NY ($98,000)
• Ronin Security Solutions of Haddonfield, NJ ($191,245)

The RFP calls for a four-month timeline for the completion of the study from the date any contract is awarded. 

The stated goal of the request for proposals is “increasing law enforcement administrative efficiency without interfering with overriding public safety concerns, while reducing redundancy of services amongst agencies.”

It is not meant "to combine police departments,” Collingswood Mayor James Maley said at the July 2013 meeting of the Collingswood borough commissioners, when the study was announced. 

The potential of a merger drew some criticism from one police chief and a Haddon Heights councilman. 

Editor Matt Skoufalos contributed to this report.