Toms River cop chief slams mayor's plan to cut police captains' jobs

TOMS RIVER - Police Chief Mitch Little disputed Mayor Daniel Rodrick's claims about police staffing in social media posts as controversy continues to swirl over the mayor's plan to cut two captains' positions to fund eight emergency medical technicians.

"Let me state clearly and unequivocally, the rank-and-file union, the supervisors union, and I, all stand united in opposition to the elimination of two captains positions to fund the EMT program," Little wrote. "I have asked the mayor for an opportunity to discuss his concerns in relation to the potential unintended consequences of his decision to implement these cuts to our command staff. I believe there is a middle ground that is mutually beneficial to all involved, the police department, the governing body, and most of all, the members of the community."

A vote on the ordinance to cut the two captains' jobs, and to reduce the number of police officers on the force from 113 to 112, is expected to be taken at the Jan. 31 Township Council meeting. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be held virtually, on Zoom, in spite of the objections of two council members, David Ciccozzi and James Quinlisk, who believe the meeting should be held in person.

More on the meeting: Toms River council meeting that could cut cop jobs gets moved from real room to Zoom

Little, who has been with the police department for 38 years, and has been chief for the last decade, said that in the meantime, the department has applied for a state grant to enter into a shared services agreement with another town to defray some of the cost.

"This is only one possibility," he said. "We are open to exploring others, but there is no rush to require hasty decisions that will have far-reaching implications."

He said the police department, which oversees the EMTs, known as community service officers, has had difficulty recruiting more first aid responders as there is a shortage of qualified candidates, and other agencies are also trying to hire them.

Little's social media posts were taken down less than 24 hours after they were posted Jan. 26 on Toms River police department's official Facebook and Instagram pages. The chief's post remains visible on the Toms River Policemen's Benevolent Association Facebook and Instagram pages.

Two rallies have been planned to fight the cuts of captains' jobs. The first is scheduled for 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30, at the corner of Washington and Robbins streets. The second rally is slated for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31, before the council meeting. It will be held on the lawn of town hall, 33 Washington St.

Farro's Tees at 873 Fischer Blvd. is giving out "I Support TRPD" T-shirts starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday to the first 500 customers.

The chief's posts were in response to a letter the mayor sent to residents Jan. 26, in which Rodrick explained his reasons for cutting the captains' positions. Under an ordinance introduced by the council Jan. 18, the captains' jobs would be cut as two police leaders retire, resulting in a savings of $700,000 in salary, pension payments and benefits.

That money would be used to fund eight new community service officers, emergency medical technicians who would held ensure the township has 24-hour first aid coverage, 365 days a year. "Residents have been waiting up to 30 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. It's unacceptable!" Rodrick wrote.

The closure of volunteer first aid squads on Toms River's barrier island has made the shortage of emergency medical technicians particularly acute there. The lack of first aid response has been a constant complaint from barrier island residents over the past year.

How we got here: New Toms River mayor faces blowback for proposing to hire EMTs by cutting police jobs

Rodrick blamed the "fiscal mismanagement" of former Mayor Maurice B. "Mo" Hill Jr.'s administration for what he says is a pending $3.5 million budget shortfall. "Still, we need emergency medical responders," Rodrick wrote. "It's a matter of life and death. The prior mayor and chief of police had four years to fix this crisis, but they did not. We are fixing it!

"Some of the department's top brass are upset that we will not be backfilling these retirements in management — because their colleagues will not be getting a promotion," Rodrick said. "Their management union is fighting our plan to fix this emergency response crisis. They are purposely mischaracterizing this as taking cops off the street. Nothing could be further from the truth. We added seven new cops in my first week in office."

Police captains make a base salary of $242,000, plus pension and health benefits.

Little pointed out that there are 114 patrol officers on the force, so the ordinance would actually reduce the number. Jillian Messina, who had served as the department's public information officer for the past seven years, also would see her job eliminated.

"The seven new 'patrolmen' the mayor refers to are actually seasonal or part-time Class I SLEO (special law enforcement officers) officers who patrol parks, the beach area and our municipal jail," Little said in his statement.

"These SLEO officers are not authorized to carry weapons and have no arrest powers. They are replacements for the 15 SLEO officers lost last year due to them pursuing other full-time law enforcement employment," Little added. "In reality, the department is still short eight Class I officers from last year, with the possibility of losing two full-time sworn police officers through attrition this year, dropping the total end strength of full-time sworn officers from 162 to 158."

He noted that the captains are his "support staff" and help manage the 335 total police department employees, including Class I, II and III special officers and civilian staff members. There are 162 officers, the same number as 20 years ago, but calls have risen from 43,885 to 65,000 annually, and the township's population has grown from a bit over 89,000 in 2000 to about 98,000 last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

A 2021 township efficiency study described the police department as "lean and efficient," and made no recommendation to cut positions, Little said.

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Here is the link for residents interested in participating in the Jan. 31 meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89508159869. The meeting ID is 895 0815 9869. To make public comment, use the following information: One tap mobile, +13052241968,,89508159869# US +13092053325,,89508159869#. The meeting ID is 895 0815 9869.

Councilmen Ciccozzi and Quinlisk, who voted against the police department changes, are expected to go town hall to attend the Zoom meeting. In a joint statement released Jan. 25, the two councilmen said the meeting should be held in a larger room, suggesting it could be held at Toms River High School North.

The high school auditorium has a capacity of 1,600, while the neighboring RWJBarnabas Health Arena can hold up to 3,500.

"Holding the meeting on Zoom poses a serious risk of excluding residents who do not have access to, or are unable to use the platform," the councilmen wrote.

Rodrick said he "spoke to the chief in front of the township attorney and the business administrator. He had advised us that it would be perfectly fine if we eliminated a captain's position above the Detective Bureau, but said that the other captain took care of a lot of administrative work that he would have to do. He said that that captain allowed him to be 'global.' My team and I did not believe that that was a sufficient reason to backfill these retirements. Especially given the desperate need we have for more emergency medical responders. People can't wait 30 minutes for an ambulance."

Rodrick said the township council meeting will also be available on Toms River's YouTube channel.

Jean Mikle covers Toms River and several other Ocean County towns, and writes about issues related to Superstorm Sandy. She's also passionate about the Shore's storied music scene. Contact her: @jeanmikle,  jmikle@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Toms River police chief fights mayor's plan to cut 2 captains' jobs