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Guest
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 Posted: Tue, Apr 27 2010, 5:58 pm EDT Post subject: Merging Cranbury PD? |
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| Should we merge the Cranbury Police dept. with another department, or consider similar measures like contracting for police services? What's your opinion? |
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Guest
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| Posted: Tue, Apr 27 2010, 6:11 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Merging Cranbury PD? |
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| Why would we do that? Cranbury is efficient and we're a small town. Merging would not only cost us more, but would reduce the services we receive. For example, with Plainsboro the police would spend their time there due to the size, yet we'd pay more for the services while Plainsboro would pay less because of Cranbury paying into them. |
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false alarmist
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| Posted: Tue, Apr 27 2010, 8:57 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Merging Cranbury PD? |
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| If this were to come about, Cranbury would negotiate some service level commitment into the agreement. It would be ree-D-Q-L-S (ridiculous) to think Cranbury would simply write a check to Plainsboro and hope for the best, especially regarding public safety. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Tue, Apr 27 2010, 9:01 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Merging Cranbury PD? |
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| Guest wrote: | | Why would we do that? Cranbury is efficient and we're a small town. Merging would not only cost us more, but would reduce the services we receive. |
Is this your opinion, or has the issue of consolidating police departments been vetted? |
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Guest
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| Posted: Tue, Apr 27 2010, 9:32 pm EDT Post subject: Re: Merging Cranbury PD? |
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| Guest wrote: | | Guest wrote: | | Why would we do that? Cranbury is efficient and we're a small town. Merging would not only cost us more, but would reduce the services we receive. |
Is this your opinion, or has the issue of consolidating police departments been vetted? |
It's my opinion based on having an in-law who is an officer in a department that covers two towns. They spend time focusing on where the crime issues and potential issues are and that is in heavily oriented to one town much like Cranbury vs Plainsboro who has rt 1, the offices, the higher number of residents and the apartments. The other town gets less visibility and the larger town has more sway in how the department operates even though they are supposed to be equals. The reason being that despite the town contracts, the town officials harp on the resident taxes paid as a percentage even though the smaller town is now paying more. His department was 10 people and is now 50 people due to the consolidation. He actually lives in the smaller town and sees first hand as both an officer and a resident the difference. Where officers used to know residents and residents knew officers, that no longer happens. His taxes have increased substantially and when their contract was due the larger town had all the pull in the negotiation. Plus, because of the increased size there is a higher chance of a lawsuit against the department so his town has an increased risk.
He constantly tells me how lucky we are in Cranbury. So I'll take his first hand experience as my guide. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Wed, Apr 28 2010, 5:46 am EDT Post subject: Re: Merging Cranbury PD? |
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| In the end no matter what was initially negoitiated, Cranbury would simply be a drive through. It would also be a big step toward the town loosing it's identity. Having our own police department costs each household in the neighboorhood of 2 dollars a day. Pretty cheap for the service we receive. No thank you I'll keep my cops. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Wed, Apr 28 2010, 6:21 am EDT Post subject: Re: Merging Cranbury PD? |
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| The police in Cranbury do a great job but their department also represents the biggest expense in the municipal budget. Officers, detectives, administration, overtime, training, pensions, healthcare, equipment, vehicles, gas, the building- some of these costs could be reduced or eliminated by consolidating. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Wed, Apr 28 2010, 6:24 am EDT Post subject: Re: Merging Cranbury PD? |
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| With all due respect to everyone's opinions, I can't see how we can have an intelligent debate without any real information. I would support a study of the issue, especially if we could get a grant to cover the costs. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Wed, Apr 28 2010, 6:31 am EDT Post subject: Re: Merging Cranbury PD? |
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| Do you think Plainsboro or any town would provide police service for free? They r going to want to make money for their town. If you have an emergency in Cranbury Greene do u want to chance having the police coming from near rte 1 in Plainsboro?. I moved to this town for the school and because it is a safe town. Don't we want a police department that focuses on our town? |
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Guest
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| Posted: Wed, Apr 28 2010, 6:39 am EDT Post subject: Re: Merging Cranbury PD? |
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| There is no reason for a study. 2 dollars a day is not worth loosing the PD. Even if my taxes went down 50 or 100 dollars a year the service reduction is not worth it. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Wed, Apr 28 2010, 7:16 am EDT Post subject: Re: Merging Cranbury PD? |
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| Where does your $2 per day assertion come from? Is that a fully loaded cost? |
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Guest
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| Posted: Wed, Apr 28 2010, 7:17 am EDT Post subject: Re: Merging Cranbury PD? |
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| Guest wrote: | | The police in Cranbury do a great job but their department also represents the biggest expense in the municipal budget. Officers, detectives, administration, overtime, training, pensions, healthcare, equipment, vehicles, gas, the building- some of these costs could be reduced or eliminated by consolidating. |
You are only right if we keep the same number of officers and split between us and another town. That will not be the case and we'll end up supporting a larger police force. Look at our dispatching service that continues to go up and up or our court costs. If someone does not show we have to serve the warrant which costs us, but Plainsboro keeps the money.
Our town is small and has a small police force that is run efficiently. We know the officers, we know they'll respond quickly, we know Cranbury is their focus.
The poster above showed what a relative experienced. How can you discount that? You vote yes on all school budgets, but are willing to toss away the police? Makes no sense to me. I may need the police some day, I'll never need the school. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Wed, Apr 28 2010, 7:35 am EDT Post subject: Re: Merging Cranbury PD? |
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| 2$ a day is what chief Kahler testified in front of the Commitee last year. Yes it is fully loaded. Pretty cheap. I have noticed that sometimes in the morning the chief himself will fill in at a school crossing. That is a pretty good example of making the most of all personell. I doubt we will find other departments that run that bare bones. I don't think they have even replaced the old chief who has been retired for 2 or 3 years. We have a darn good service and it is example of how sometimes small towns are more efficient than larger government! |
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Guest
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| Posted: Wed, Apr 28 2010, 7:50 am EDT Post subject: Re: Merging Cranbury PD? |
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Its not about discounting anyone's personal experience or opinion, but emotional opinions without supporting data are not a good argument against studying the issue.
Studying the issue would lend some facts to the discussion. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Wed, Apr 28 2010, 8:12 am EDT Post subject: Re: Merging Cranbury PD? |
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The poster stated a view based on the experience of an actual officer in a similar circumstance. To me, that means a lot more than some paper study since it shows reality. Yes, it's not Cranbury. However, I think that experience is likely to happen here.
Plus, if no grant is available are you willing to spend the money? And if a grant is available considering the efforts in Trenton under Corzine and now Christie don't you think there might be pressure then put on Cranbury to consolidate? Look at Old Trenton Rd. The simple speed limit request led to a major infrastructure change. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Wed, Apr 28 2010, 8:39 am EDT Post subject: Re: Merging Cranbury PD? |
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I don't really think it is necessary to have a study over this issue. Many of these studies are slanted towards the political climate at the time. We are a unique affluent town and we enjoy having our own identity. If we are considering getting rid of services like police, we should just consider merging our town with another larger town.Do we want to do that or even consider it? I know I don't. If I wanted to live in a section of Plainsboro,West Windsor, or Monroe I would have moved there. You also have to realize that once you enter into one of these agreements you are locked in. The larger municipality may wine and dine you at first to get the revenue but after the honeymoon period you know what will happen? Cranbury is low priority. What do you do when the contract expires and you aren't happy with the service? Negotiate with another town so we have a different police department every few years? Its not as if we could just restart our own PD when the contract expires. Our elected officials no longer have any real input where police services are utilized in our community. The officers themselves will be employees of another town which as other posters have indicated, means that is where their loyalty and focus will be. For hole in the donut communities this idea may be unavoidable. For those towns they will have to live with the burdens of these situations.
Even considering this for Cranbury is a really bad (and unnecessary) idea. |
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