As reported by nj.com, seven municipalities in Camden County have made a request for proposals looking into the possibility of consolidating the management of their respective police departments. The municipalities, Audubon, Collingswood, Haddonfield, Haddon Heights, Haddon Township, Mount Ephraim, and Oaklyn, all independently authorized the RFPs, stating they are open to the idea of saving money by merging the administrative levels of their various police forces. Each town would keep its own force of police officers.

“All of the municipalities have pretty similar characteristics, and whether it’s with public works or construction officials, we’re seeing where we can save money through shared services,” said Audubon administrator Dave Taraschi, adding that officials from the seven communities have monthly meetings under the name Colonial Alliance. “This is not unique to police.”

According to Taraschi, the proposals are due to the municipalities by August 16. “We know it’s the wave of the future, so we’re just looking into consolidation,” he added. Taraschi also said the Colonial Alliance considered a number of alternatives before opting to study the possibility of merging among themselves.

Last spring, the newly created Camden County Police Department began patrolling the streets of the city of Camden. As the department’s name suggests, other municipalities could, in the future, sign on to the force.

Freeholder Director Lou Cappelli, who in February said he had previously been approached by elected officials in various municipalities who are potentially interested in signing on to the county force, said he’s encouraged by the discussion. “We’ve said all along that it would be up to each municipality to voluntarily sign up,” Cappelli said when asked if he would rather the seven municipalities join the county police department. “I’m just happy that they’re talking.”

According to Cappelli, the county force, which this summer took over sole responsibility for policing Camden, will reach its goal of 401 officers in December. “We have 104 officers entering the academy, and when they graduate in December we’ll be up to 401,” he said.

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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.