ZIMMER ADMINISTRATION COMPLETES POLICE DEMOTION PLAN
The Zimmer Administration is following through on the planned demotions of superior officers. The demotions are a component of the Administration’s comprehensive efforts, including a new redeployment plan which places 38 percent more police on the streets and a shared services agreement with the Housing Authority, to create a more efficient and cost-effective police force.
On September 29th it was announced that a total of 19 demotions were scheduled to occur on December 2nd with adjustments to reflect any additional retirements that might take place during that time. Due to cost savings achieved through retirements, the total number of demotions has been reduced to 11. The officers being demoted are determined exclusively by seniority and civil service rules. As a result of cost savings achieved through retirements, no police officers will lose their jobs.
“Particularly during these economic times, I’m very sensitive to how difficult layoffs and demotions can be for families, and I have worked incredibly hard to minimize that pain,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. “At the same time, residents are struggling with unacceptably high taxes that threaten to make our town unaffordable to them. That’s why I’m incredibly thankful to all the officers who made the very personal decisions to retire which eliminated the need for layoffs and reduced the need for demotions.”
The demotions reflect the Division of Local Government Services audit which recommended that the superior officer structure be modified from 1 Chief, 4 Captains, 18 Lieutenants and 30 Sergeants to 1 Chief, 3 Captains, 12 Lieutenants and 26 Sergeants.
In September, Mayor Zimmer announced a Police redeployment plan that dramatically increased the number of police personnel assigned to patrol Hoboken’s streets by 38 percent from 72 to 99 officers. The plan also created a power shift from 8pm to 4am to increase street patrols from approximately 9 officers to more than 20 officers during peak activity hours. In addition, five police positions were saved through an interlocal agreement between the City of Hoboken and the Hoboken Housing Authority which established a Housing Authority Bureau to increase safety in the Housing Authority area.
- Posted while on the go by the editor of The Hoboken Journal.
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