Green Brook Opposes Police Consolidation

The Green Brook Township Committee unanimously approved a resolution declaring the borough will not participate in the at its meeting Monday.

This came after

Committee member Ken Herrmenn noted that this decision was similar to when they looked at the possibility of a county dispatcher.

“I think we learned something when we studied the county dispatcher issue. We learned that we’re not going to get as good a service as what we get now, and I think the police is the same situation,” Herrmenn said. “The public safety is served better when we have something here; something local. The amount of savings that we’re seeing from the county report isn’t worth the loss of that public safety.”

Committeemen Edward Pfeifer, a dispatcher in Manville, shared his feelings adamantly.

“This is our town and we got a great police department,” Pfeifer said proudly. “Keep our police department right where they are.”

With the vote, Green Brook joins a growing list of municipalities voting against the plan, including Watchung, Bedminster and Peapack-Gladstone.

A county-funded study recommended creating several precincts for police in the county, with 

Although he was unable to attend the meeting, Seidel was happy to hear the committee's decision.

“I agree with their decision on the basis that it doesn’t seem to provide any real fiscal relief, nor does it provide a benefit to the man power,” Seidel said in a phone interview after the meeting.

The public seemed happy with the decision as well.

“I’m glad that’s the direction you’re going. There are too many unanswered questions. People I talk to, they love the police,” Green Brook resident Sue Osnatio said. “The money just doesn’t justify doing it either—$60 is kind of a joke. This was pretty pathetic when it all came about.”

While all members agreed that right now, with the current plan, we shouldn’t go forward, many said that down the line something like this could occur.

“I do think that we need to keep this is mind for the future and look for more opportunities to share services ,” Committeewomen Nancy Stoll said.

Deputy Mayor Patrick Boccio agreed with Stoll.

“In the long run I think that something like this is going to occur but I don’t think the time is right for Green Brook,” he said.

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