Helmetta will consider change in police coverage Options include having another department take over full time BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer With questions about the Helmetta Police Department's efficiency, borough officials are considering the possibility of dissolving the force and allowing another town to take over. "We've been looking into making changes in the department, but since they haven't been put through, we're looking into having a study done," Helmetta Mayor Nancy Martin said. Martin said the intention of borough officials is only to have an efficiency study conducted to correct problems in the department, not necessarily to do away with it. Many residents and others are making the assumption that the intention is to dissolve Helmetta's police force, she said. "It's totally out of hand at this point," Martin said of the misconception. Further, Martin said, if the Helmetta Police Department were dissolved, Jamesburg would not necessarily be the town to take over, as has been reported. People are assuming Jamesburg would be chosen simply because of the existing interlocal agreement between the two towns, Martin said. For two years, Jamesburg's police department has covered the third shift in Helmetta seven days a week via an interlocal agreement between the towns. The shift runs from 10:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. While Martin said she could not disclose some of the issues viewed as posing a problem in the department because they deal with personnel, she said a couple of major concerns are with training and out-dated equipment. Martin said she and other council members are looking into finding funds to conduct an efficiency study in the department, to determine what goes on in its day-to-day operations. She said there is some money in the budget to be used for the study, and grant funds are also being sought. "Hopefully, it will be authorized by council in the next couple of meetings," Martin said. The study could cost between $5,000 and $15,000 to complete, and it is yet unclear how long it would take, although Martin said she would like to see it begin within the next couple of months. A feasibility study would follow, Martin said, though that has not yet been researched. In 1993, a study was conducted to discern the feasibility of Monroe, Jamesburg or Spotswood taking over enforcement in Helmetta. Helmetta Police Chief Cully Lewis said he had only heard about the possibility of the department's dissolution as a rumor circulating through town. "My one concern is that they look at all aspects of it," Lewis said. Martin sent a letter to residents dated May 4 explaining the issue, in response to an article published in the Home News Tribune. "The issue of dissolving the Helmetta Police Department is one the governing body does not take lightly," Martin wrote. "We recognize residents' feelings that a local police department provides the best safety protection, and any change in the current police coverage would be made only if it provided better protection to you, while at the same time offering financial benefits and superior performance and professionalism." The Helmetta department consists of three full-time officers, including Lewis, and two part-time or special officers. Martin said Jamesburg's police officers have higher qualifications, and their department's equipment is more up-to-date than Helmetta's. Lewis refuted both claims, saying their equipment is not out-dated, and that while Jamesburg's officers have done a good job in Helmetta, they are no more qualified than his officers. "The officers get all the training they're required to get by the prosecutor and the attorney general's office," Lewis said. Since no decision has been made to do away with the town's police department, Martin said she did not wish to speculate on what would happen to the jobs of the existing police officers if the dissolution took place. "We don't really want to go into the 'what ifs,'" Martin said. "We're looking to straighten out the deficiencies in that department." On May 3, representatives from Helmetta and Jamesburg came together for an annual meeting at Helmetta Borough Hall to discuss the renewal of the interlocal agreement. Members of the towns' public safety and finance committees attended, along with Jamesburg Mayor Tony LaMantia. "We're always open to anyone who wants to go into shared services," LaMantia said. LaMantia said they did not discuss doing away with Helmetta's police department at the meeting, and that Jamesburg officials are unclear about any plans Helmetta officials may have regarding such a move. If Martin and others present them with definite plans, LaMantia said, Jamesburg officials would be better able to determine whether taking on the borough would be feasible. Lewis did not attend the meeting, and said he normally does not take part in the process of determining the agreement between the two towns. According to Martin's letter, Helmetta pays Jamesburg $21.50 per hour for covering the third shift, an amount that increases by 3.5 percent each year the contract remains in effect. Due to insurance costs for Helmetta officers, as well as other financial considerations involved in hiring a new officer, Martin said renewing the interlocal agreement was a more practical option. The Helmetta police officers' contract with the borough expired Dec. 31, and negotiations are in the works for a new contract. Since no contract has been finalized, Martin said town officials had no way to know the financial viability of hiring a new officer. Martin, Council President Vincent Asciolla and Councilman Peter Karczewski, who together comprise the public safety and finance committees, met several times earlier in the year to discuss whether to renew the interlocal agreement with Jamesburg. Martin noted that the council had, at one point, considered hiring a new officer. "However, after thorough and detailed discussions with Chief Lewis, the borough's chief financial officer and members of the council, and reviewing issues related to long-term finances and performance, the council decided to renew the interlocal with Jamesburg because it was in the long-range financial and performance interests of the borough," Martin wrote. The idea of a merge is already being met with opposition from some in town. Resident Betty Agiovlasitis posted signs near where she lives on Lake Avenue opposing the possible dissolving of the department. As neighbors noticed signs reading "Keep Helmetta Police in Helmetta" and "Save Our Police Department," they spurred her to start a petition, Agiovlasitis said. "Everyone is signing it," Agiovlasitis said. "[Helmetta] is kind of like Mayberry. Everybody knows everybody. And if Jamesburg were to take over, we would lose that." While Agiovlasitis said she supports Martin in general and thinks she has done a great deal for the town, she said she disagreed with her actions in this matter. She left a voice-mail message for Martin, expressing her displeasure with the situation. "She stabbed our police chief in the back by not having him at this meeting," Agiovlasitis said. "She never called me back or anything." According to Agiovlasitis, no one she knows has received Martin's letter. She said residents should have been informed of what is being considered, and should have been given a chance to offer their input. "It's just very strange that this is coming up right around the time the chief is due for retirement," Agiovlasitis said. "It seems to me, right now it's turning to a personal thing." Lewis, a 21-year veteran of the force, is up for retirement in four years. Part of the reason Agiovlasitis is opposed to the dissolution is the possibility of heightened taxes as Jamesburg's police force grows over time to meet the needs of two towns. "Once they take over, we're going to be at their mercy," Agiovlasitis said. Jamesburg, she said, already has enough on its plate.