Wildwood Votes to Cut Police Supervisors

WILDWOOD — This city’s governing body made a move on Wed., Oct. 27 that would reduce the number of managers and supervisors in the police department, but increase the number of patrolmen on the street.
“For economy and efficiency, it is necessary to change the number of full time police officers in the Wildwood Police Department,” read the proposed ordinance regarding police staffing. “The Director of Public Affairs and Public Safety…determine the number of persons…to be appointed to these positions.”
The measure stated that commissioners had reviewed the department’s current staffing. They concluded that the department should be made up of: a chief, a deputy chief, a captain, a lieutenant, five sergeants and 38 patrolmen. That reduced the number of sergeants by two and the number of lieutenants by three.
According to Lt. Christopher Howard, who is also president of the county Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 7, the current department has a chief, a deputy chief, a captain, four lieutenants (one is retiring this year), five sergeants and 26 patrolmen.
Howard said the department was “dangerously short staffed now.” He claimed that the city has no intention of hiring additional patrol officers since the commissioners want to cut $500,000 from the department’s budget.
Howard directed some concerns to Commissioners Al Brannen Ed Harshaw, choosing to skip Mayor Gary DeMarzo because “the mayor has already made his mind up.”
Harshaw said the department had “too much brass, it’s too top heavy…for and island this size.”
“In the calendar year of 2010 we’ve had a captain, a sergeant, a lieutenant and two patrolman retire with no replacements,” that’s a significant amount of brass right there…over a half million dollars in salary and wages, not to mention the benefit package.”
“The world is changing,” Brannen said.
“So police supervision is a thing of the past?” Howard asked.
“As we know it, yes,” Brannen answered. “Everybody’s got to do more with less.”
Despite Howard’s directing his concerns to Brannen and Harshaw, it was DeMarzo who had the most to say regarding the change in police staffing. DeMarzo and Howard went back and forth often times raising their voices and talking over each other. DeMarzo is a former Wildwood officer who was forced to choose between that job and his elected position in May.
DeMarzo noted that other departments were cutting police jobs.
“About 165 police officers in Newark are being laid off…40 police officers in Atlantic City are being laid off,” he said. “I’m not laying off anybody.”
“How are we going to cut $500,000, by finding cheaper paper clips?” Howard asked. “Of course there’s going to be layoffs.”
DeMarzo said he was asking officers to make concessions including salary rollbacks, this restructuring plan and other measures. “I’m taking you out of your office and I’m going to get a clerical person to do the time cards and you’re going to go back on the squad,” DeMarzo said, referring to a “seats to streets” program.
DeMarzo claimed that Howard was trying to “spin” the restructuring measure into something that residents should be afraid of.
“Your’ not going to come up here and fear these people into something that’s not going to happen,” DeMarzo said.
“There is no intent to fear anybody into anything, people have a right to know what’s happening in this town,” Howard replied.
“Don’t the taxpayers of this town and the tourists of this town deserve better, not to diminish the importance of reducing taxes and being fiscally responsible, don’t they, in light of recent shooting, stabbings, attempted kidnapping, sexual assaults, 12 ½ thousand dollars worth of heroin taken off the streets last week…deserve more?”
“But you’re getting more officers,” DeMarzo said. “So don’t come up here and say you got less guys on the street, I’m putting more guys on the street…Don’t come up here and tell these people falsities…Don’t tell them there’s going to be layoffs, because there’s not…Don’t tell them that we’re going to lose the $800,000 (a grant), because they’re not.”
“Gary you’re the master of …,” Howard told the mayor perhaps about to say spin, but he didn’t finish because DeMarzo interrupted him.
“You know what I’m the master of,” DeMarzo answered, “cutting taxes.”
“Do we have the Japanese coming up the beachhead?” DeMarzo asked Howard, minimizing the situation in the city. “Are we losing Cresse Avenue to North Wildwood?”
Following the exchange with DeMarzo, Howard told the Herald he expected problems if the number of police supervisors was reduced.
He said police supervisors need to have nearly memorized the attorney general’s guidelines, the Cape May County Chiefs of Police policy manual and the department’s rules and regulations.
“There’s no way a senior patrolman can run a shift,” he said. “The average patrolman does not have the skill or experience to adequately and safely supervise a city like this,” Howard said, noting that Wildwood is a place where real crimes happen.
If the city implements this plan, Howard said the department would likely be considered a higher risk by its insurance carrier “considering there will be entire shifts without supervisors.”
Joining Howard at the meeting were a number of off duty police officers and supporters wearing gray t-shirts with the department’s logo on the front and what looked like an American Express commercial on the back. The shirts questioned DeMarzo’s spending practices and judgment. They read:
Decorative Parking Meters: $23,000
Three Illegal Flood Pumps: $147,000
New Time Clock System: $250,000 and counting
Jeopardizing Public Safety with Layoffs and Demotions: PRICELESS!!!