During a special Mayor & Council meeting held on Thursday, June 28, 2012, the governing body voted on and unanimously approved the hiring for four (4) new Probationary Police Officers in order to re-instate the Roselle Park police force to its previous personnel levels. The decision to replenish the ranks of the Roselle Park police force, which was on hold since March, was due in large part to a study that the governing body requested in order to determine the adequate number of officers needed in the Borough. The report was budgeted at $10,875.
The four officers, who were hired at an annual salary of $49,082.31 each, and sworn in were:
- John P. Fitzgerald from Old Bridge
- Matthew Hopkins from Union Township
- Jeffrey Rapach from Sayrelle
- Brian Swick from Roselle Park
The special meeting was needed to have the Borough be able to participate in the Safe And Secure Communities program, which, according to New Jersey Department Of Law & Public Safety web site, is designed to provide municipalities with funding to add law enforcement personnel vital to effective police operations and other crime related strategies as warranted by the needs of the community. The amount requested by Roselle Park is $60,000. The deadline for the application is July 1, 2012.
Additionally, the governing body introduced Ordinance 2368, which revises Ordinance 2348 which was voted on and passed earlier in the year; the only significant difference between both ordinances being that Ordinance 2368 re-instates the position of Captain.
| Ordinance 2348 | Ordinance 2368 |
|---|---|
| Police Chief (1) | Police Chief (1) |
| Captain (1) | |
| Lieutenant (1) | Lieutenant (1) |
| Sergeant (6) | Sergeant (6) |
| Detective Sergeant (1) | Detective Sergeant (1) |
| Detective Patrolman (3) | Detective Patrolman (3) |
| Traffic Safety Officer (1) | Traffic Safety Officer (1) |
| Detective Juvenile Officer (1) | Detective Juvenile Officer (1) |
The ordinance will have its second reading, which will make the re-organization official, on July 19th Mayor & Council meeting.