As reported by nj.com, reclaiming the gear they laid down more than two weeks ago, 18 formerly laid-off Trenton police officers returned to work Monday morning. 

The somber ceremony of laying down boots outside police headquarters the day of the layoffs was replayed backwards inside the department’s training room, as returning cops happily donned badges, guns, Kevlar vests and neckties before hitting the streets again.

Picking out the items from their individualized boxes that were stored away on the day of the layoffs September 16, the oldest new officers in the department had their colleagues who remained without a job firmly on their minds. “I’m glad to have my job, but we still have 80-some guys still waiting,” Charles Lamin, a seven-year veteran. “It’s like going somewhere without your best friend.”

The number of returning officers is only a fraction of the 105 who were terminated earlier this month. In addition, the re-appointments may be temporary. The 18 officers’ salaries are being paid with a combination of an existing federal grant and the savings from nine retirements that took effect Saturday, police officials said. But the city learned last week it will not receive a second grant award, meaning that the funds for these officers will run out in four to six months.

Though controversy remains over a plan by Mayor Tony Mack to send more than 40 officers of the now-247 member force to foot patrol, cops will be walking the beat today, albeit in smaller numbers. The future of foot patrol in the department remains up in the air. Mack had ordered the anti-crime and drug-units disbanded and their detectives sent to foot patrol, but the plan, which would have taken effect Monday was cancelled after a sit-down with county Prosecutor Joe Bocchini Friday afternoon.

Mack, Bocchini, and police officials will revisit the two competing plans for the depleted force during a meeting today, officials said.

Tags: Articles, Bocchini, Layoffs, Mack, rehire, rehires, Trenton, Trenton Police
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Photo of Donald C. Barbati Donald C. Barbati

Donald C. Barbati is a shareholder of Crivelli, Barbati & DeRose, L.L.C. His primary practice revolves around the representation of numerous public employee labor unions in various capacities to include contract negotiation, unfair labor practice litigation, contract grievance arbitration, and other diverse issues…

Donald C. Barbati is a shareholder of Crivelli, Barbati & DeRose, L.L.C. His primary practice revolves around the representation of numerous public employee labor unions in various capacities to include contract negotiation, unfair labor practice litigation, contract grievance arbitration, and other diverse issues litigated before the courts and administrative tribunals throughout the State of New Jersey. In addition, Mr. Barbati also routinely represents individuals in various types of public pension appeals, real estate transactions, and general litigation matters. He is a frequent contributor to the New Jersey Public Safety Officers Law Blog, a free legal publication designed to keep New Jersey public safety officers up-to-date and informed about legal issues pertinent to their profession. During his years of practice, Mr. Barbati has established a reputation for achieving favorable results for his clients in a cost-efficient manner.

Mr. Barbati has also handled numerous novel legal issues while representing New Jersey Public Safety Officers. Most notably, he served as lead counsel for the Appellants in the published case In re Rodriguez, 423 N.J. Super. 440 (App. Div. 2011). In that case, Mr. Barbati successfully argued on behalf of the Appellants, thereby overturning the Attorney General’s denial of counsel to two prison guards in a civil rights suit arising from an inmate assault. In the process, the Court clarified the standard to be utilized by the Attorney General in assessing whether a public employee is entitled to legal representation and mandated that reliance must be placed on up-to-date information.

Prior to becoming a practicing attorney, Mr. Barbati served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Linda R. Feinberg, Assignment Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Mercer Vicinage. During his clerkship Mr. Barbati handled numerous complex and novel substantive and procedural issues arising from complaints in lieu of prerogative writs, orders to show cause, and motion practice. These include appeals from decisions by planning and zoning boards and local government bodies, bidding challenges under the Local Public Contract Law, Open Public Records Act requests, the taking of private property under the eminent domain statute, and election law disputes. In addition, Mr. Barbati, as a certified mediator, mediated many small claims disputes in the Special Civil Part.

Mr. Barbati received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, magna cum laude, from Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Upon graduating, Mr. Barbati attended Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware. In 2007, he received his juris doctorate, magna cum laude, graduating in the top five percent of his class. During law school, Mr. Barbati interned for the Honorable Joseph E. Irenas, Senior United States District Court Judge for the District of New Jersey in Camden, New Jersey, assisting on various constitutional, employment, and Third Circuit Court of Appeals litigation, including numerous civil rights, social security, and immigration cases.

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