outsource police

[Blahblah-qs31]

Look we have these forums that pop up from time to time. The same people with agendas battle it out with anonymity. Cranbury does need police. Regardless of whether we have our own force or contract another town it is still going to cost several million dollars a year. Cranbury Police salaries are very good(around 100k)but they are actually on the low end of Middlesex PD's so I guess the Commitee people have done a good job keeping the salaries within reason compared to other towns in the county. If we were to contract South Brunswick, Plainsboro, or Monroe( all of which pay police officers significantly more than Cranbury) they would charge millions and our town would be second fiddle to the primary municipality. The only possible solution would be a county police department, which does not exist in Middlesex County.

[Christy-25p1]

He has targeted police just as much as teachers. Police were very much effected by the 2% salary cap. Also Christy changed their healthcare as much as or more than teachers. They are also paying more into their pensions. FYI most police officers working in suburban towns like Cranbury, Monroe, East and West Windsor do have four year degrees and many have masters. Many also have additional specialized training.

[guest-1234-63s1]

[Alleged volunteer-25p1]

Plainsboro pays its officers more than Cranbury as does East Windsor, Monroe, West Windsor, South Brunswick, and nearly every other town in Middlesex. Plainsboro Lt.'s are making $145,000. This is nearly $30,000. more than Cranbury's chief. Jamesburg and Hightstown pay about the same,even though they are much poorer communities. This is all easily verifiable. Nobody is saying that Cranbury officers aren't paid well, they are,just generally slightly less than than most nearby PD's. There are not "3 or 4 officers working". Usually 2 occasionally 3. Staffing is an issue as the police are down several officers from a few years ago. This is also the case in many surrounding towns. All signs of a struggling economy. The squad is no longer volunteer during the week day, they are paid and bill insurance companies for service. The fire department is still 100% volunteer which is admirable but an enormous struggle. In the 1980's and into the 90's volunteers were much more abundant and there was only 1 or 2 cops working. It's just a sign of the times.

[guest-1234-63s1]

[anon-0050]

I want to correct the post made above as I too am a member. The township provides a contribution to both the squad and fire department. It is my understanding that this contribution is capped by the state so it does not cover the full operations. Thus, donations are greatly appreciated.

[anon-97on]

[anon-s470]

Plainsboro has a few lower salaries because they've actually hired to replace police who retire. Unlike Cranbury.

[anon-qs31]

Morley works opposite the other officers. If he was in fact working he may have been doing DARE since he is the school DARE Officer.Also officers have to routinely come in on their days off for things like court and Grand Jury.This is just the nature of the beast. Get your facts straight chas. Look up the contracts on the NJ PERC website. Plainsboro pays more plain and simple. Plainsboro has hired more officers in the last few years so they have people that have not yet reached max salary. Some of the officers listed in the link are actually in the police academy. Something Cranbury has not done in over 40 years.When those officers reach their max salaries it will be more than Cranbury. As for the fire department, again admirably volunteer, but lets be honest. Saves the tax payers tons of money by not having paid professionals?Absolutely. Provides a solid consistent service by always managing to quickly respond in a safe, appropriate manner with a professional crew? I don't think so. I have seen the way a certain individual drives the fire truck.It can only be described with one word. Reckless. Speeding through town and crossing route 130 with no regard for the safety of other people.He seems to drive angry going to false alarms at the warehouses. I often wonder why our cops don't do their jobs and stop him. I guess they think he has immunity because he is a volunteer? Does he? I do not see our police officers driving that way responding to alarms. So I think they know better. I wish one of them would write him a ticket before he kills someone going to a false alarm.

[anon-63s1]

[anon-p821]

Yes " you never know." But by in large you do know that it is. It is completely different if the dispatch is for a fire with people trapped or an auto extrication. It is just not worth it to drive that dangerously for what is in all likelihood a false alarm. I suspect that it would not be tolerated in other towns and it should not be tolerated here, regardless of being a volunteer. The noble cause of volunteering is actually diminished by this reckless behavior. I also find it interesting that the defending posters knew exactly who was being referred to. Nobody can take away from the 30 plus years of dedicated volunteer firefighting or First Aid work. Nobody except the individual who is choosing to define his time served by his reckless driving and bullying behavior. Picking fights with members of his own and other services. I suspect that he is either directly or indirectly responsible for spreading some of the false propaganda about the police on this forum. He apparently has a chip on his shoulder about them(the cops) because they have been faced with unenviable task of dealing with his reckless(and lawless) driving. They(the cops) are always portrayed as the bad guys because he cloakes himself in years of dedicated volunteer service, which is still no excuse. The irony is that his own legacy with the town is worth far more than that.

[annoyed with idiots-63s1]

I have been reading this nonsense about "reckless" driving by volunteers, then a volunteer calls this person out- good for them!!

This is all very stupid since these volunteers spend countless hours training to save some idiots life or that idiots family from a fire, accident or some other tragedy.

My hat goes off to those volunteers and if anyone has a beef with a certain someone - PRESS CHARGES OR STFU!!

just my 2 cents - from a cranbury resident who has had emergency services at my home for an emergency and glad to have them!!!

[anon-p81r]

Sadly there have been charges pressed and the individual has paid the tickets( pled guilty). The behavior calms down for a short time and then starts up again. He should continue to do all other wonderful things he does as a volunteer. Just stop being reckless. Nobody wants to take anything away from any of the volunteers. They do a great job and are for the most part are pretty darn selfless. It's just that they can't be arrogant enough to think that their role as a volunteer or paid emergency responder entitles them to have immunity and behave as if there are no consequences for dangerous behavior. If you truly support the volunteers then you want them to obey the laws and behave as professionals. Maybe the moderator should close this thread. Some people will never learn.

[guest-1234-63s1]

The other thing people do not understand is MOVE OVER when an emergency vehicle is approaching. People do not move over and that will cause an accident. There is a NJ law called "Move over or get pulled over." The police will ticket offenders for not pulling off to the side when a fire truck, ambulance, police officer, or a member responding to calls. When you see a vehicle with a blue or red light flashing please move over so they can proceed to the squad or station. They have all been trained in emergency driving situations, so please make it easy and dont get yourself a ticket and just move over.

[anon-37p2]

[anon-37p2]