File Photo Ridgewood PD will the beat cop be back?
Ridgewood Police Back on the Beat ?
06/20/12 10:57 AM
the Staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ , As part of the new community policing initiative, Ridgewood Police Chief John Ward is bringing back the beat cop to the Ridgewood Central business District. The feeling is that with an increased pedestrians activity in the downtown and a serious issues with pedestrian-involved accidents Chief Ward plans to put one officer on foot patrol during the busy afternoons and nights over the entire summer.
According to the Bureau of Justice in the monograph A Frame Work for Action : Community policing is, in essence, a collaboration between the police and the community that identifies and solves community problems . Obviously Chief Ward’s summertime initiative is an attempt to improve traffic safety conditions in the downtown Ridgewood.
Community policing came in to favor in the early 1980’s .It gave the police and the community greater opportunity to interact as opposed to what had become the tradition that stressed efficiency over effectiveness with rapid response as the primary means of addressing serious crime.
Many old timers remember Ridgewood PD paroling the downtown spinning their night stick .According to Deputy Mayor Tom Riche this is “Something I have been asking for a long time. We should have a walking cop downtown on the busy nights. ” Richie went on ,”The Central Business District already has a patrol car stationed but the car often gets pulled away for calls. The walking post assures that someone is there regardless of the call volume. ”
The issue of foot patrols in the Central Business District (CBD) has been hotly debated over the years on this blog with most readers seem in favor .
Village Council members however are rightfully concerned about the cost impact : Deputy Mayor Tom Riche once again explains , “The issue is the Chief has been told to manage his huge overtime budget. On face value it appears he is going to give out comp time in lieu of pay. This plan just defers our liability to be cashed in at a later date at possibly a higher rate of pay. If he requires that the comp time be taken within a specific time frame ie: same year, and those comp days don’t create additional overtime issues then it may be OK. “
every town should have a cop on the walk beat.then some will not get fat. besides it,s part of the job.and this should not be about over time.
The Chamber of Commerce should pay for any extra cost. They are the ones that have complained about the no beat cop in the cbd.
Years ago there was always a walking ‘post’. That cop was also the ambulance driver for that shift. It should be mandatory for the officers to walk the beat when they are not responding to a call. If they get a call, hop in the car and go answer it. Its also healthy to walk and is good PR for a cop to speak with the public.
CBD should not have to pay. There is no extra cost the police dept. has a budget to pay all these salaries and walking the beat is just part of the job.
The Chamber should pay. They are getting a dedicated police officer. Do the Ridgewood taxpayers get to have a dedicate police presence on there block or just a ride by patrol car. I rather have that police officer assigned to the CBD put on regular patrol. This must be one of those campaign promises made to the Chamber
There is no need for the cops to be sitting in their cars in the CBD – they should be out walking around. NYC and every other city have beat cops, it should be part of their job. The beat cop should not be confined just to the CBD – they should be visible around the entire village – it is good PR for the RPD and it offers a sense of security to the villagers. There is no special payment required as the cops are paid already – so just let them go out on foot patrol and give them less time to sit in their cars, drinking coffee and eating donuts