Special officers will be hired in Marlboro

MARLBORO — A new table of organization for the Marlboro Police Department will remove the deputy chief position and add part-time special officers.

An ordinance amending the police department's table of organization was adopted by the Township Council in 4-0 vote during its Dec. 10 meeting.

Council President Steve Rosenthal and council members Randi Marder, Rosa Tragni and Frank LaRocca voted to adopt the ordinance. Councilman Jeff Cantor was not present via hookup from Afghanistan, where he is serving with the U.S. Army.

The police department's new table of organization is based on recommendations contained in an audit report issued by the New Jersey Division of Local Government Services (DLGS).

Mayor Jonathan Hornik requested the audit of Marlboro's police department when he took office in January 2008.

The report stated, "The chief can effectively manage the (police department) through the three captains. The present duties of the administrative deputy chief can be redirected to the patrol, criminal and administrative/ support captains. A department of this size does not need this costly ranking supervision, therefore, DLGS staff is recommending eliminating the rank of deputy chief."

Marlboro's current deputy chief is Eric Landau, who was appointed to that rank in November 2006. Landau is expected to retire at the end of the year.

The Township Council created the position of deputy

chief in 2006. The deputy chief reports directly to the chief of police and acts on the chief's behalf in his absence. The deputy chief is the second executive officer in command of the Division of Police and the position required conferring regularly with the chief on operational and administrative matters.

Upon the ordinance's introduction last month, Police Chief Bruce E. Hall told council members that eliminating the deputy chief's position from the table of organization will result in a savings of about $150,000.

The new table of organization includes one police chief, three captains, seven lieutenants, 12 sergeants, 60 patrol officers and the addition of 10 special law enforcement officers Class I and four special law enforcement officers Class II.

Special law enforcement officers were once a part of the police department but the positions were eliminated in the 1970s, Hall said. These special officers will now be reinstated in Marlboro.

The special officers are not police officers in the Division of Police and their powers and duties would stop at the expiration of their term, which is not to exceed one year. The special officers will be employed to assist in the township, not to diminish the number of full-time police officers employed in Marlboro.

The special officers would be separated into two classes, according to the ordinance. Class I officers will be authorized to perform routine traffic detail, spectator control and similar duties. Class I officers will have the power to issue summonses for disorderly persons and petty disorderly persons offenses and violations of municipal ordinances. Special officers deemed Class I cannot carry a firearm.

Class II officers will be authorized to exercise full powers and duties similar to those of regularly appointed full-time officers. The Class II officers will be permitted to use a firearm, provided the police chief has ascertained that the individual is fully certified as having successfully completed training prescribed by the police training commission.

Hall told the council that with the hiring of special law enforcement officers for matters such as municipal court security, there would be a reduction in the amount of police overtime currently being paid.

Regular officers will be back on patrol rather than providing security in the municipal court once the special officers are in place, Hall explained.

The chief said Marlboro's police department had 78 officers several years ago. There are currently 70 officers on the force. Hall said the number of officers is appropriate for a town the size of and with the population of Marlboro.

According to Monmouth County At A Glance, which has been prepared by the Monmouth County Planning Board, the 2009 population estimate for Marlboro is 41,933 residents. The 2025 population projection for Marlboro is 41,991 residents, according to the publication.