New police leaders report smooth transition Many new initiatives based on reorganization of existing forces BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer EDISON - One month after the passage of a pair of controversial ordinances that drastically reorganized the command structure of the Edison Police Department, Thomas Bryan, the department's new deputy chief, and Brian Collier, the new police director, have reported a smooth adjustment. The pair said that several reorganizations within the department have already begun, many of which involve the reassignment of personnel. "It's kind of a round peg, round hole [situation] you got, finding the position where everyone can be most productive," said Collier. One area where this is taking place is within the InternalAffairs Division, which Bryan headed up before being promoted to deputy chief at the beginning of April. Bryan said that additional personnel have been added to the division from other areas within the department, something done to further assure checks and balances within the department, he said. Bryan also said that the department has begun a Comstat data-gathering program, where crime statistics are used to find problem areas and then proactively work to prevent crime. Internally, the department is using a risk-analysis tracking system, amanagement tool that aims to do similar things within the police force itself. Through reorganizations, the police have also formed a rapid response team, which, as the name implies, is used to respond quickly to situations requiring additional manpower, as well as a select enforcement unit, which concentrates on problem areas found through using crime data and statistics. The rapid response team, meanwhile, has already been utilized in at least one arrest, according to Bryan, though he said he could not discuss it further due to an ongoing investigation. Bryan also said that the police have also focused evenmore on quality-of-life issues, such as the department's recent participation in the Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 program for the second year in a row. The goal here, he said, is to have the police department engage with the public. "This is a quality-of-life enforcement initiative which is being implemented, which is to reassure the general public that the Edison Police Department is actively engaged in the prevention of crime and the protection of law-abiding citizens by addressing quality-of-life complaints," said Bryan. Collier was a federal Drug Enforcement Administration agent before being appointed as the first police director in Edison in almost a decade. Both his and Bryan's appointments were controversial and were heavily opposed by members of the local Policemen's Benevolent Association, the union representing police officers in Edison. Despite this, he said that many of the officers within the EPD have been professional and supportive since he started at the beginning of April. "I have to give them a lot of credit for the decency, respect and professionalism they have shown Deputy Chief Bryan and myself. You know, certainly, there are those who are, rightfully or wrongfully, disgruntled, particularly at having an outsider come in such as myself, but in their professionalismthey have gone to the task of working, and we're going to give them the tools as best we can to move forward and hope people look at the glass as half full and move forward," said Collier. The ordinances that allowed Bryan and Collier to be appointed to their respective positions were passed during a council meeting in earlyMarch, amid heavy opposition from the PBA and other Edison residents. One ordinance established the police director position, which supporters claimed would de-politicize the department and opponents claimed would give the mayor's office too much control over the police. The other ordinance greatly lessened time requirements for police promotions, which is what allowed Bryan to go from lieutenant to deputy chief. Supporters said the changes would allow the most qualified officers to rise to their level of competence while opponents said they would open a political backdoor for careerminded officers. Bryan acknowledged that change can cause anxiety but said that in the end, the police department would be better off for it. "Change can certainly be scary at times, but I'm very proud of the men and women in this police department; they seem to be doing a good job and absolutely seem highly motivated now, something we are very pleased with," said Bryan.