Cape Issues Measures Local Police Costs

RIO GRANDE — How much does it cost to keep county residents safe?
That’s the question recently considered by members of Cape Issues, a group of citizens who search for solutions to local problems. Members of the group include Herald Publisher Art Hall, former Cape May official Fred Coldren, former West Cape May Mayor Robert Jack-son, and former Dennis Township Committeeman Bob Grace.
When Cape Issues formed over a year ago, the group asked members of the community what were the biggest issues facing Cape May County. The overwhelming response: taxes.
Because police salaries make up such a large portion of local taxes, Cape Issues compiled figures from various sources — 2009 municipal budgets, county Data Book and 2009 Ab-stract of Ratables — to break down the cost of police in each county municipality.
According to the state’s 2008 Uniform Crime Report, this county has the second highest rate of police employees per population in the state. The report stated that there were 433 municipal police employees in the county including 333 officers and 100 civilians for a rate of 4.5 police employees per 1,000 residents. Only Essex County had a higher rate with 4.6 per 1,000. Hunterdon, Sussex and Warren counties have less than two police employees per 1,000 residents.
According to Cape Issue’s figures, salaries for municipal police in this county are nearly $35 million. That total does not include medical or retirement benefits, which are also sig-nificant costs. It also doesn’t include salaries for the 230 police employees in the county prosecutor and sheriff offices, which are paid through county taxes.
There are 11 police departments that protect 13 of the 16 municipalities in this county. Dennis Township, Upper Township and Woodbine are covered by New Jersey State Police patrols.
The 1,200 year-round residents in Stone Harbor have the highest per person cost for po-lice salaries. The borough’s 2009 budget lists $1.6 million or $1,343 per person to pay for its 18-member full-time police force, which also includes four full-time dispatchers, three part-time dispatchers, an administrative assistant and a clerk.
Stone Harbor’s Seven Mile Beach neighbor, Avalon had the next highest per person police salary cost in this county. Avalon’s budget allocated $2.1 million for police leaving its 2,200 residents with a $928 tax bill for the salaries of its 21 full-time officers and five dispatchers.
Stone Harbor also has the highest cost per seasonal resident. With an estimated peak summer population of 18,686, the borough’s police cost is $87 per person.
Sea Isle City’s year-round population of 3,000 swells to over 38,000 in the summer, leav-ing that city with a $72 cost per summer resident for police salaries. The city’s 23-member police force patrols the 2.5-square-mile island. The department also includes four dispatch-ers, two secretaries and a custodian. In the summer, the city hires an additional 25 officers.
Cape Issues also looked at the cost of police salaries as a percent of municipal valuation, or how much real estate in a town is worth.
In this respect, Wildwood had the highest cost for paying its police officers. Wildwood’s real estate was valued at $2.04 billion and its cost for police salaries was $4.6 million, which gives city property owners a bill of $223 per $100,000 of assessed value. The Wild-wood Police Department is a 45-member force that serves a year-round population of about 5,700 citizens in the 1.4-square-mile city.
Middle Township taxpayers had the next highest police salary cost as a percent of valua-tion. The township’s valuation was set at $3.2 billion and its police salaries were $4.5 mil-lion or $137 per $100,000 of assessed value. Middle Township Police Department consists of 52 sworn law enforcement officers, eight communications operators, an evidence clerk and five secretaries. The department patrols an area of over 72 square miles, protecting a year round population of over 18,000 and a summer population of 62,000.
Middle Township also had the highest percentage of its tax levy dedicated to police sala-ries. Township taxpayers contributed about $10.9 million to the municipal budget and 41 percent of that total goes towards police salaries.
Police salaries in the City of Cape May were the next highest in the county compared to its total municipal tax. The city pays approximately $1.96 million or 27 percent of its $7.2 million tax levy for its police force. In addition to Cape May, the department also patrols West Cape May and Cape May Point. Those boroughs contribute $372,547 and $231,890 to police salaries respectively.
Cape May’s 23-member police force increases by 20 officers in the summer. The depart-ment also employs four communication operators, two administrative assistants and a cross-ing guard.
Ocean City has the largest and most expensive police department in the county with 64 full-time officers, nine full time dispatchers, 10 part-time dispatchers, seven support per-sonnel and a total price tag of $6.6 million. The 11-square-mile island has an estimated year round population of 16,000 that increases to 118,000 in the summer.
On the opposite side of the issue, the budget for police salaries in West Wildwood is about $295,000. The tiny police department patrols the three-tenths-square-mile island.
The Lower Township Police Department protects the largest year-round population (24,000) in the county with its 40 full-time officers. In the summer, the population hits about 91,000 in the 31-square-mile township. According to the 2009 budget, police salaries in the township were $4.6 million
Finally, the North Wildwood Police Department employs 30 full-time officers, four dis-patchers, two secretaries, one records clerk and a custodian. During the summer, when the city’s population jumps from 5,200 to 52,000, the department hires an additional 45 em-ployees to patrol the city’s 1.8 square miles.