Police director will benefit cops, citizens
Guest Column
OLIVER C. LEE
At a recent Edison Township Council meeting, the tirades of protesters against a proposed change in police hierarchy suggest the proposal had no merit. However, appearances can be deceiving. The "vocal minority" at the meeting does not represent the view of most Edison citizens. The hot topic was the proposal to create a police director position and system.

Many police officers were in attendance, along with police union officials and the old guard. They objected to the proposal. One reason they cited was that the [person in the] position cannot perform police duty and the person nominated wouldn't even qualify as a police cadet. But that is not the role of that position. The police director is a civilian position whose role is toward administration, coordination, counter-terrorism and community outreach. The day-to-day operation of law enforcement would remain with the chief of police, as it should. Many studies have shown that police departments with this modern type of setup are more responsive to the community, run more efficiently, coordinate better with other agencies and surprisingly have better officer morale. The NYPD is a shining example.

All evening, a parade of police hierarchy and police union delegates expressed anger that the new position involved an "outsider" and therefore was equal to not supporting and disrespecting the present police force and therefore would erode morale. Many cited the impressive education of their members.

That knee-jerk reaction is incorrect. When politicians supporting the war in Iraq called those who questioned the reasons for our involvement as unpatriotic and not respecting our soldiers, it was incorrect, too. No one is questioning the quality and integrity of the Edison police or our soldiers in Iraq. There is just questioning our involvement in the Iraq war as there is questioning the idea of implementing a more modern police hierarchy system.Asking for an improved police system does not mean we don't support or respect

our officers.

Throughout the night, Mayor Jun Choi was a constant target by the union-backed crowd of police officers and the old guard. Reminders of the mayor's heritage were raised with comments like "Is there a language problem?" or "Go back to where [he] came from." Many questioned his hidden political agenda and were resentful of his meddling. The mayor is director of public safety, and it is his job to ensure public safety in Edison with the most efficient police system, which is responsive to the community. In the present system, any grievances go through the tenured chief of police or internal affairs. In the proposed system those checks are still in place.

In addition, the police director is accountable yearly to the mayor, who himself is held accountable to the constituents of Edison every election cycle. I see more accountability for the citizens of Edison than a tenured police chief [would be], who cannot be removed as easily.

Oliver C. Lee is a resident of Edison