As reported by nj.com, the State Policemen’s Benevolent Association scoffed at Governor Chris Christie’s call for Mercer County to consider creating a regional police force like Camden County’s to quell violence in Trenton, saying what the city and police really need is money to hire more officers.

“The significant increase in violent crime in Trenton recently is a direct result of the layoff of more than 100 police officers,” P.B.A. President Anthony Wieners said in a statement. Christie said Wednesday that the regionalization of the police force in Camden has already created a “good trend” in crime reduction. With Trenton nearing a record number of homicides this year, the Governor called on Mercer County politicians to have the “political courage” to consider creating a regional force. 

Critics have said the Camden County police plan is too new to consider a success and called it a union-busting effort. “There are no disputes between the city and the local PBA over a contract as there was between Camden and the FOP which led to the creation of a county police department,” said Wieners, referring to the Fraternal Order of Police union. “Abolishing the Camden Police Department was always about breaking the FOP contract and the deal only works if the State continues to pump tens of millions into the city of Camden.”

Wieners said that kind of money would be better spent on hiring more officers in Trenton, which saw two officers injured in a shooting last week and 30 homicides so far this year. “Our officers, two of whom were shot recently, come to work in danger every day while struggling in quiet dignity to serve the people of Trenton,” he said. “This situation calls for more cops, not political messages designed to perpetuate the myth that a union, particularly the State P.B.A., is somehow an impediment to a solution.”

Tags: Articles, Camden, FOP, Fraternal Order of Police, NJ State PBA, Policemen's Benevolent Association, Regional Police Department, regionalization, regionalized police force, Trenton
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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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