Council lifts freeze on Met. cop jobs; two to be hired Budget concerns had forced mayor, council to freeze hirings in Jan. BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer It took one motion from Councilman Thomas Vahalla and one second by Councilman Richard Dyas at last week's Metuchen Borough Council meeting to reinstate the two police officers, which had been an issue since January. Residents and Policemen's Benevolent Association members, who packed the council chambers, applauded the decision. "It was very courageous what Councilman Vahalla and Councilman Dyas did," said PBA Local 60 President Joseph Ernest, who received hugs from fellow members of the Metuchen Police Department after the meeting on March 19. "It took a lot of guts, and I thank the people in the town because without their support, this would not have happened. The first thing I'm going to do is take the signs down." In February, Ernest made signs that read, "Metuchen PBA Local 60 opposes Mayor and Council refusal to replace vacancies in Police Department." Residents have posted the signs on car windows and have put them on their front lawns showing their disappointment with the mayor and council's decision in January to put a freeze on all full-time job openings. Mayor Edmund O'Brien and the council will interview candidates for the two police officer positions in a closed session before the April 2 council meeting. "I'm hoping we will have three or four candidates to interview," said Police Chief James Keane. "We currently have two solid candidates. We had quite a few candidates lined up when I found out that we could hire one officer." The two officers who will be hired will have to go through six to eight weeks of field training and won't be out on the road until June. "I wish this never happened, because it did put a strain on the department," said Keane, who said even with a 28-member police force, the department is still at its bare minimum. "But I look forward to hiring the two officers." Prior to the March 19 meeting, O'Brien proposed that the borough could hire one police officer now, in part due to a North Brunswick tax assessor who added 91 assessments for the borough after the county-mandated deadline, for free. He said the borough would propose to add the second officer after they see what happens with the health insurance policy in April. Up until the March 5 council meeting, the borough's police department was still grappling with the administration's decision in January to put a freeze on all open full-time positions, which brought the once-28-member police department down to 26 and became official on Feb. 5 with the resignation of Patrolman Don Heck, a 12-year veteran of the force. The council accepted Patrolman Timothy Hayduk's resignation on Jan. 16. Hayduk had joined the force in February of last year. Borough resident Suzanne Andrews, who for the past several months has been outspoken about replacing the two officers, presented the mayor and council with 258 signatures in favor of a 28-member police department. Andrews said she started to circulate the petition two weeks ago. Ten-year-old Garrett Shafer, along with Jesse Shafer, 12, Patrick Gibson, 11, and Jake Issler, 11, presented the mayor and council with a petition of their own for kids - ranging in age from 3 to 16 - in favor of a 28-member police department. "Today, the overtime numbers add up to $22,380.56," said Vahalla after the meeting. "Last year, overtime totaled $26,513. We are only $4,000 away from hitting those numbers." Vahalla acknowledged that it was not going to be easy for the borough next year with Gov. Jon Corzine's property tax reform bills, but said it was important for the borough to reinstate the two officers, and the borough will continue to work diligently together on alternative ways to save money. Corzine has not signed the legislation into law yet, but is believed to approve the legislation. "I have suggested charging residents for metal pickup," said Vahalla. "Some residents might not like the idea, but what would they rather ... pay more money for: metal pickup or receiving police protection. These men and women in the department who start working overtime, may like it at first because it's more money at the end of the day, but as these hours of overtime add up, it poses another problem of exhaustion. Police officers need to be alert and active, but by working many overtime hours, it's a problem. It could lead to more accidents and their judgment could not be 100 percent. Human beings cannot go without a little R and R." Vahalla said the residents have to understand that the mayor and council are not against the PBA. "Our job was to respond to the public safety issue, and I'm glad we finally got it done," he said. Councilwoman Cathy Totin said she was disappointed with the PBA because it was never the mayor and council who were opposed to rehiring the two officers. "It was never about the two police officers," she said. "It was the amount money to pay for the two officers." Councilman Richard Weber said borough resident Charlotte Teachen's comment hit home for him. She said she had just heard last week about what was going on with the two officers and said it made her feel more strongly about it. "Who knows how many more residents who don't know about this," said Weber. "I agree on replacing the two officers. Yes, there are budgetary concerns, but like what was said before, we will cross that bridge when we get to it." Dacey, who was given the borough Democratic Party's endorsement to run for mayor in November at the Democratic Committee on March 12, said he was glad to see the community come together on this issue and hopes it will continue. He also suggested that he would like to see Ernest and the police chief work together on ways to keep police officers in the borough. "We hope when we hire the two officers, they won't leave," he said. "Over time, five or six police officers have left." Dyas said most officers don't leave because they don't like it in Metuchen. "There's no animosity between the police department and the council," he said. "These candidates that we interviewed over my nine years on council have been fantastic. The reason why they leave is because they have found another place to be, whether it is with the New Jersey State Police or the Prosecutor's Office. They have left for greener pastures."