Post by exfed2002 on Nov 30, 2008 11:55:17 GMT -5
Who'll patrol Palisades Parkway?
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Last updated: Sunday November 30, 2008, EST 11:17 AM
BY WILLIAM LAMB
STAFF WRITER
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A bill to disband the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department and shift its functions to the Bergen County Police could end up costing taxpayers while leading to an erosion in the quality of enforcement, the parkway commission's president said last week.
James Hall, executive director of the Palisades Interstate Parkway Commission, questioned whether the county police could effectively patrol the park's steep cliffs and meandering trails in addition to the 11.5-mile stretch of parkway that winds from the George Washington Bridge to the New York State line.
"The general concern that we have would be that there are two pieces to what we do," Hall said. "One is the parkway, but the other is the park. It's doing first aid, it's looking for lost hikers — it's doing all of those other things, which I'm not sure the Bergen County Police are prepared to do."
The 25 officers who make up the Parkway Police force issued nearly 20,000 summonses last year and more than 16,000 so far this year, Hall said. They have made 184 drug arrests, four arrests for lewd conduct and 23 drunken-driving arrests so far this year, Hall said. And they've done it with a roster of officers whose salaries start around $49,000 and top out after 11 years around $71,000, he said.
Bergen County Police officers, meanwhile, earned a base pay of just $17,000 last year, though the salary rises to more than $90,000 after five years on the force. Officer pay topped out at nearly $109,000 last year.
The bill's co-sponsor, Democratic Assemblyman Gordon Johnson of Englewood, says giving the county police responsibility for patrolling 2,500 acres of parkland and the parkway would save the state as much as $1.2 million in the first year after it is enacted. The measure would achieve those savings by trimming personnel and building costs, and by closing the parkway commission's court and diverting revenue from fines to Bergen County's municipal court system, he said.
But Hall questioned whether Johnson's plan would really save money if the County Police hires 15 new officers to patrol the park's New Jersey section. (The New York State police patrols the 41 miles of parkway in New York.)
"If this is about saving money, it's kind of hard to understand how this is going to achieve that when the Bergen County Police officers make so much more than ours," Hall said.
Johnson, a former Englewood Police sergeant and Bergen County undersheriff, said jurisdiction for parkway infractions would shift to Bergen County's municipal court system, providing a revenue stream to offset the cost of hiring the new officers. Hall said the parkway commission collected about $1.6 million in fines in the fiscal year that ended March 31.
"You're talking about 15 officers versus 25 officers," Johnson said. "You're speaking about shutting down the maintenance and operation of buildings there."
Johnson also disputed that the Palisades Interstate Parkway police are uniquely qualified to patrol New Jersey's 2,500-acre section of the park. The county police force has boats, a diving team and a mounted patrol at its disposal, leaving it well-positioned to patrol both the parkway and the park itself.
Bergen County officials have said they will support any plan that provides enough revenue to cover the cost of hiring new officers to patrol the park.
Johnson denied that the bill is designed to shore up support for the Bergen County Police. The 93-member department has an annual budget of around $13.5 million. Its primary responsibilities are to patrol Routes 4, 9W, 17 and 46.
"I've heard that line," Johnson said. "I guess one can say that if this were to occur, it would help justify the existence of the Bergen County Police. There's nothing to say that, at some point down the line, if the people of Bergen County determine that they want to reduce or eliminate the county police, that that can't happen. But it's obvious now that the Bergen County Police are in the equation for Bergen County."
Hall said he is worried that Bergen County will regret the move as annual increases to officers' salaries push up the cost of policing the park.
"What happens in three or four years if they say it's not working out, it's too expensive and they don't want to do it anymore?" Hall said. "If there's some savings to be achieved in some manner, then it should be discussed. But we have had discussions with the Bergen County Police before about the possibility of merging, and it was prohibitive because of the cost of their officers."
E-mail: lamb@northjersey.com
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Last updated: Sunday November 30, 2008, EST 11:17 AM
BY WILLIAM LAMB
STAFF WRITER
Comment on this story Email this story Printer friendly version Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size
A bill to disband the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department and shift its functions to the Bergen County Police could end up costing taxpayers while leading to an erosion in the quality of enforcement, the parkway commission's president said last week.
James Hall, executive director of the Palisades Interstate Parkway Commission, questioned whether the county police could effectively patrol the park's steep cliffs and meandering trails in addition to the 11.5-mile stretch of parkway that winds from the George Washington Bridge to the New York State line.
"The general concern that we have would be that there are two pieces to what we do," Hall said. "One is the parkway, but the other is the park. It's doing first aid, it's looking for lost hikers — it's doing all of those other things, which I'm not sure the Bergen County Police are prepared to do."
The 25 officers who make up the Parkway Police force issued nearly 20,000 summonses last year and more than 16,000 so far this year, Hall said. They have made 184 drug arrests, four arrests for lewd conduct and 23 drunken-driving arrests so far this year, Hall said. And they've done it with a roster of officers whose salaries start around $49,000 and top out after 11 years around $71,000, he said.
Bergen County Police officers, meanwhile, earned a base pay of just $17,000 last year, though the salary rises to more than $90,000 after five years on the force. Officer pay topped out at nearly $109,000 last year.
The bill's co-sponsor, Democratic Assemblyman Gordon Johnson of Englewood, says giving the county police responsibility for patrolling 2,500 acres of parkland and the parkway would save the state as much as $1.2 million in the first year after it is enacted. The measure would achieve those savings by trimming personnel and building costs, and by closing the parkway commission's court and diverting revenue from fines to Bergen County's municipal court system, he said.
But Hall questioned whether Johnson's plan would really save money if the County Police hires 15 new officers to patrol the park's New Jersey section. (The New York State police patrols the 41 miles of parkway in New York.)
"If this is about saving money, it's kind of hard to understand how this is going to achieve that when the Bergen County Police officers make so much more than ours," Hall said.
Johnson, a former Englewood Police sergeant and Bergen County undersheriff, said jurisdiction for parkway infractions would shift to Bergen County's municipal court system, providing a revenue stream to offset the cost of hiring the new officers. Hall said the parkway commission collected about $1.6 million in fines in the fiscal year that ended March 31.
"You're talking about 15 officers versus 25 officers," Johnson said. "You're speaking about shutting down the maintenance and operation of buildings there."
Johnson also disputed that the Palisades Interstate Parkway police are uniquely qualified to patrol New Jersey's 2,500-acre section of the park. The county police force has boats, a diving team and a mounted patrol at its disposal, leaving it well-positioned to patrol both the parkway and the park itself.
Bergen County officials have said they will support any plan that provides enough revenue to cover the cost of hiring new officers to patrol the park.
Johnson denied that the bill is designed to shore up support for the Bergen County Police. The 93-member department has an annual budget of around $13.5 million. Its primary responsibilities are to patrol Routes 4, 9W, 17 and 46.
"I've heard that line," Johnson said. "I guess one can say that if this were to occur, it would help justify the existence of the Bergen County Police. There's nothing to say that, at some point down the line, if the people of Bergen County determine that they want to reduce or eliminate the county police, that that can't happen. But it's obvious now that the Bergen County Police are in the equation for Bergen County."
Hall said he is worried that Bergen County will regret the move as annual increases to officers' salaries push up the cost of policing the park.
"What happens in three or four years if they say it's not working out, it's too expensive and they don't want to do it anymore?" Hall said. "If there's some savings to be achieved in some manner, then it should be discussed. But we have had discussions with the Bergen County Police before about the possibility of merging, and it was prohibitive because of the cost of their officers."
E-mail: lamb@northjersey.com