Residents, Business Owners Oppose Police Layoffs

Chris Giraldi’s dream was to become a Hillsborough Township Police officer. For two years, the lifelong Hillsborough resident attained his dream—until his life changed Tuesday night.

“I’m currently a Hillsborough Police Officer, at least for the next hour and 54 minutes, somewhere in that realm,” he said when addressing the Township Committee Tuesday night.  “I also am a township resident.  Similar to what you did with my career, I’m going to try to keep this short and sweet. .  . I have a two-month-old son at home who will never get to see his father in a Hillsborough Police outfit, in my uniform. On Easter Sunday, I went home just so we could get that picture, because I had a feeling this day was going to come. I just wanted to put a face to the name so that any of you who don’t know me, know me now.”

Giraldi was the only officer of the three who received layoff notices to speak during the meeting, but was far from the only resident to address the committee regarding the layoffs.

Following the latest attempt to reach a bargaining agreement with the Policeman’s Benevolent Association Tuesday, the committee approved its resolution to issue layoff notices to the three officers. The committee cited salaries and benefit cost reductions that would reflect the concessions other municipal employees made as necessities for a contract.

“The issue remains that the township, like many other businesses and people, has to tighten its belt in this difficult economy,” Mayor Gloria McCauley said at the meeting.  “Every other township employee has made concessions, which resulted in almost $300,000 worth of savings for our taxpayers.  The PBA was asked to make similar concessions.  We think this is a reasonable request seeing as the public safety salaries represent 53.5 percent of the township’s salary budget.”

Initially, contract discussions requested $250,000 in concessions from the PBA, or the loss of five police positions.  One of the five would be achieved via attrition, while the others would be through layoffs.  The agreement deadline coincided with the township’s budget approval.

“We are deeply saddened and disappointed that it has come to this and we are sorry that the PBA did not feel these negotiations were worth the jobs of their fellow officers,” McCauley said.  “We believe our negotiations were fair and reasonable. Of course, this is a very difficult decision. But that’s why we are here. We are elected to make difficult decisions. We have a responsibility to our taxpayers and this is a business decision that is in the best interest of the taxpayers of our community.”

But several residents at the meeting disagreed with the suggestion that layoffs were in the community’s best interest.  Some, like one Hillsborough business owner, noted the amount of crimes occurring the in past month.

“In the past five days, our shopping center has had two attempted robberies,” John Moretti, Hillsborough resident and Papa John’s owner said. “The last one was our store. The response time was one minute, 46 seconds from the time I was on the phone to the time they got there.  For the next incident that just happened, Walgreens was held up at knifepoint.  (The response time was) One minute, 26 seconds.”

While Moretti wasn’t certain how businesses and taxpayers could help, he was willing to support the department through fundraisers or otherwise, he said.

“As a resident, as a taxpayer, I’ll share the burden,” he said. “Tell me what I need to do to keep these people on.  I’d be doing it as a business owner and as a resident.”

Mark Scherer, another township resident, thought the committee lacked a unified opinion, and that the layoffs did not make sense in terms of cost.

“I’m a township resident and, from what I saw tonight, I’m really disgusted and I’m disgusted with a few things,” Scherer said. “Just seeing the difference in discussion that’s going on, I do believe the committee here, not everybody’s on the same page.  Hillsborough’s typically a safe town.  It has one of the lowest ratios of police versus state averages against residents.  Making decisions like this makes it a less safe town.  It makes no sense versus dollar amount.”

According to Frank DelCore, the township’s Public Safety Liaison, the average police salary is over $100,000, with officers receiving 3.75 percent raises in each year of the previous contract.  Officers also receive a clothing allowance, overtime, pension costs and do not pay into their health benefit plan, he added.

According to the township, salary increases for the 54 PBA members totaled $270,574 in 2010, with the total salary budget for police officers being $5,737,013.  Holiday pay is budgeted at $257,533 for 2011.

Officers receive about $2,105 in allowances per officer for uniform cleaning, shoe purchases and miscellaneous expenses. The allowances total $113, 670 for all officers, according to the township.

While Scherer has no love for taxes, he noted the cap exemptions that exist for benefit and pension costs for police and emergency personnel.

“Every year you keep coming back asking for more and more and now they are going into a contract,” he said. “I think what’s happening here from a public safety standpoint is disgusting. . .if you take that $250,000 and divide it by the number of home owners, we’re not talking about a large sum of money.”

Scherer noted increases in crime would make property values decrease and thought the lower officer-to-resident ratio would affect service in the town.

However, members of the township committee said there would be no impact on the amount of patrols traversing the town. The patrols remaining would be allocated to areas where they are most needed.

Resident Aldo Martinez, who is a Democratic candidate for Township Committee,

“I cannot help but to feel bad as a resident about the safety, the future safety of this town,” Martinez said. “We are living in an era of increased crimes.  Violent crimes, non-violent crimes.  I just don’t think that this decision, and I wish you all rethink your votes, would be in the best interests of the township.”

Committeeman Carl Suraci asked Martinez if he would push the budget to cap to avoid laying off officers.  Martinez responded that he would vote in favor of letting residents decide to go to cap.

For Jim McGuire, of Onka Drive, the layoffs struck close to home.

“I would just like to say congratulations to the Township Committee on having been the first Township Committee in the history of the Hillsborough Township Police Department to feel the need to lay off police officers,” McGuire, a retired Hillsborough Police officer, said. “You must feel very proud.  .  .In my opinion, I can’t help but think that this is less about finances and more about this Township Committee’s ability to find a way to put a gun to the PBA’s head and not honor their obligations under this collective bargaining agreement.

“Shame on you all,” he continued. “You’ve lost my respect and, more than that, you’ve lost my vote.”