Borough Council Continues to Draft Police Director Ordinance

On Monday evening, the borough council held a discussion session regarding the selection of a police chief/civilian public safety director position. The council is considering changing the current model of having a sworn officer as chief in the wake of the announcement of the retirement of Chief James Eufemia, who is scheduled to leave his post in September.

During the meeting, council members parsed through the second draft committee revisions outlining the public safety director ordinance; discussing a variety of issues in the 25-page report, including the position’s length of term, removal procedures for the position, duties and responsibilities and codes of conduct for him or her to follow.

During the public comment period, South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka, who also serves as first vice-president for the State Chiefs of Police Association, threw his support toward the idea of keeping a uniformed police chief to govern the 11-member department, saying it is critical to have someone in place with a police background.

“If a police chief is on the road he goes to crime scenes, he handles calls, he handles everything,” Hayducka said. “It’s (Hightstown) a small police department and they’re down from 14 officers to 10; you lost almost 25 percent of your manpower.”

“You’re going to put someone in as a civilian director that all he could do is a budget and make policy decisions,” Hayducka added. “In a department this size an administrator should be able to do that work along with being a police chief. What you’re doing is giving someone a salary for 50 percent of the work a police chief can do. You get two for the price of one. You get the most for your money.”

Council member Isabel McGinty strongly supports the idea of having a civilian police director and said that a change in direction is important regarding policing in the borough and said that the consensus is that the council agrees.

“I think the civilian could enhance the professionalism of the police department,” McGinty said. “I think we could put in place clear structures for responsibility and accountability within our police department through putting a civilian police director in.”

McGinty continued, “I think it would give direction from the appropriate authority, which is the council, right on down through the chain of command of the strict adherence of the rules, regulations and laws. I think it would accommodate the flow of timely and adequate information about the police department in more ways than we presently have in place.”

There was other support for the police chief position, including for Chief Eufemia himself. “This town is one of the safest I’ve lived in,” Hightstown resident Irving Smith said. “The chief was railroaded out of here. I think he got a raw deal. We need to replace him with another police officer.”

Chief Hayducka said that out of the 13 municipalities in Mercer County, Trenton is the only one that has a civilian police director, and statewide out of more than 450 municipalities with police agencies, there are only 23 civilian directors.

Eliminating the police chief position and creating the civilian director slot, according to officials, could save the borough money and give it control it has lacked over a police department the council says has been mired in controversy in the past.

At last month’s council’s meeting, Mayor Steven Kirson said the chief's retirement package should cost the borough between $20,000 and $25,000. A public safety director/police director, on the other hand, would have a lower salary and fewer benefits.

The civilian position would not be given a municipal car and would not conduct traffic stops, wear a uniform or carry a firearm.

The borough will be searching for someone with at least five years experience in public safety, public administration and policy and/or law enforcement.

The borough hopes to have a police director/public safety director in place before Chief Eufemia retires in September. The draft ordinance will be re-introduced at the next borough council meeting on Aug. 1.