Tedesco moves to merge Bergen County Police with Sheriff’s Office
January 1, 2015, 12:43 PM Last updated: Thursday, January 1, 2015, 2:11 PM
By JOHN C. ENSSLIN
staff writer |
The Record
In one of his first acts after being sworn in early Thursday, Bergen County Executive James Tedesco signed an agreement that lays the groundwork to combine the County Police into the Sheriff’s Office.
The agreement — subject to approval by the freeholders — would fold the 103-member County Police force as a bureau within the Sheriff’s office.
It also sets an eventual goal of reducing the County Police through attrition and without layoffs to a core group of 49 sworn officers under the Sheriff’s command.
The 31-page memo, co-signed by Sheriff Michael Saudino and County Prosecutor John Molinelli, marks a significant turning point after more than five years of conflicting studies and intense political debate over how to consolidate county law enforcement.
“I believe this is the right thing to do for the people of Bergen County,” Tedesco said moments after signing the document at a ceremony in the freeholder caucus room.
Tedesco, a former Democratic freeholder, campaigned hard for the consolidation, arguing that it will save taxpayers between $90 million to $200 million over the next 25 years.
Lets see how long this reduction last before these jobs are given to political cronies
READ BETWEEN THE LINES.
Saudino will also “make these officers more accessible to the municipal police departments for purposes of backup, force multiplier services, faster specialized services and prisoner transportation.”
Sounds like a good move.
Is that how you got your job at the county Dom? We all know that bergen county government is riddled with cronyism no matter which party is in.
Go read your hand delivered Ridgewood calendar.
It will be interesting to see how an elected official works out as a leader of the largest enforcement agency in the county. Most political science, and Law enforcement professors say this post should be appointed by the prosecutor, or other high ranking Law enforcement official.
they should help out towns, then they can save in overtime. we cops getting way to much o t. the ridgewood police spend a boat load in over time, time to slow that down a bit. wake up manager.
I did not get mine yet. What gives.
Right #6 “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.”
#6 Jealousy… is a mental cancer.
B. C. Forbes
The time you see police on the road in any town for PSE&G or any other contractor the police do not get overtime they are paid by the contract along with that the town is reimbursed for the use of the car and gas and the town also charges an admin fee. I believe last year rRdgewood received over 2 hundred thousand just in admin charges wich went into the General Fund. No Im not a cop just someone who attends Council Meeting.
NJ.Com
Bergen County Sheriff’s department is political police organization where the head of the department is elected, and up to 25% of the police officers are appointed without taking a test by the Civil Service Commission.
Bergen County Police Department Chief is a civil servant who had to pass a test to run a department, all members of the department had to take tests to be hired and promoted. It has very little political involvement.
Agreed #7, less OT is a good thing. Funny to see all the fat cat, $100K public pensioners complaining here as usual about a reduction in taxpayer liability. Cutting a 103-member County Police force to a core group of 49 sworn officers under the Sheriff’s command can only be a good thing, and if the unions oppose it, then clearly it IS a good thing for taxpayers. They’ll throw up every argument against it, just watch.
Funny how the cop haters on this blog never bring up the Fire Dept and BOED administers who make that kind of money What about doing the same thing with BOED superintendents.
Well #12 let talk about how much the sheriff cut after tree years. All sounds good now .
Whats the matter no holiday bonus this year?
Fully agree #13, why does Bergen County need 78 BOE Superintendents ? There are less Fire Chiefs only because less municipalities have full-time paid firefighters (of the 69 fire departments in Bergen County, only four municipalities in Bergen have career FDs, including Teaneck, Hackensack, Ridgewood and Bergenfield). Why so much duplication? You’ll hear every excuse from the union thugs about why shared services are bad, mainly because it reduces union jobs and limits openings based on residency requirements for hiring, etc. They’ll throw out every excuse in the book, just watch.
There will be huge retirements in 2016 as you well know #14. The 65% of final comp calculation for pension for life was grandfathered for those with 20 years of service as of the 2011 NJ law changes (Chapter 78, P.L. 2011 which took effect in June, 2011), so the guys with 25 years as of 2016 will all be retiring. The pension falls to 60% after that. Further, all CBAs negotiated prior to that effective date still do not incorporate the higher pension and health care benefit contributions, or the 2% property tax caps required under new state laws; those only come with new CBAs. Can’t get new CBAs in place fast enough for the Village and County.
The sheriff’s office predates both the NJ and US Constitutions. It’s under the control of We the People. Why complain?