Point Pleasant Beach Police Chief, Daniel DePolo, has charged that the budgetary cuts initiated by the Borough Government are so deep that they are placing the public safety at risk and will prevent the police department from fulfilling its mission. Recent budget cuts have chopped the Department’s overtime budget by 75% and have made cuts to the Department’s ability to hire special seasonal officers by 50%.
After listening to Councilman John Mercun’s budget report on Tuesday night, Police Chief Daniel DePolo publicly stated: “You’ve given me a budget I can’t work with. It’s impossible for me to survive on this budget. There will be furloughs in the fall and layoffs.” The chief said the finance committee has often talked of “trimming the fat from the budget, not the muscle,” but added, “this is a stake through the heart. Will the town recover? Beats me.”
We are bringing this article to your attention as another New Jersey municipality has chosen to place public safety on the back burner during times of economic recession. As stated by the State Troopers Fraternal Association’s President, David Jones, at a meeting with the New Jersey State Treasurer, "bad guys and criminals don’t take time off during a recession. If anything, crime increases when the economy turns sour."
Again, get out and support your fellow law enforcement officers. During economic times such as these, no jobs are completely safe and away from the chopping block.
To read the complete article regarding the Point Pleasant Beach Police Department that was published in this weeks Ocean Star click on the link below.