by MICHAEL OLOHAN
of northern valley press
Englewood, New Jersey—An ordinance to provide a hiring preference to local applicants for police and fire department positions—a subject occasionally raised at council meetings—was planned for introduction Aug. 21 after a draft was vetted by the city’s labor counsel.
On July 17, City Attorney WIlliam Bailey said that Genova Burns, the city labor counsel involved in police and fire contract negotiations, reviewed the ordinance and said residents may have a preference in local hiring but that residency may not be an initial condition of employment.
‘Implement … and adjust’
“My recommendation would be as we’re constantly looking at hires, we should implement and we can always adjust and adapt if (proposed) legislation requires that we do so,” said Councilman Michael Cohen, referring to a proposed bill on local hiring preferences.
“That makes perfect sense to me,” said Council President Wayne Hamer.
Previously, at a council work session April 10, members discussed a draft ordinance that provided a preference to residents. Councilman Michael Cohen said then that the city police and fire departments were hiring a lot of non-local employees for such positions.
Several residents seeking police and fire department positions have raised specific issues with hiring practices in the last year, and residents have chastised council members to hire more locals.
Occasionally, citizens also claim police are not responsive to community concerns because they are not residents.
Cohen said the proposed ordinance was similar to an ordinance adopted in Teaneck. He then called a local preference ordinance “an important first step” in hiring more Englewood residents for the police and fire departments.
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Add city departments
In April, Councilwoman Katharine Glynn suggested the ordinance also apply to public works positions and Mayor Frank Huttle said all city departments should be included.
Bailey previously noted if final candidates for a position are “equally qualified,” then preference to hire a resident would win out and the resident would be hired.
In April, Councilman Charles Cobb questioned how such an ordinance would be policed, noting that if the oral interview part of a hiring process is subjective, that would make it difficult to monitor whether such an ordinance was having an impact.
Impact unclear
It was unclear what impact such an ordinance might have on local hiring numbers, given that it apparently only applies to hiring situations where both candidates have similar rankings after going through all testing and interviews.
Hamer said previously that any draft ordinance must be vetted by labor counsel to make sure an existing contract does not conflict with the ordinance.
Hamer recommended July 17 that council members read the draft ordinance and Burns’ comments to prepare for introduction at the Aug. 21 council meeting.
Previously, the president of the city firefighters’ union—International Association of Firefighters—said that residents receive a six-point preference on entrance exams.
Efforts to reach Englewood Police Benevolent Association Local 216 president Timothy Barrett were not returned by press time.
A public records request for percentages of residents employed in city police, fire, public works and parks and recreation departments requested by Northern Valley Press was not returned by press time.
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Related police hiring changes
Recently, Police Chief Lawrence Suffern said he would develop a plan for an interview panel for police applicants that would ask council members to select citizens from each of the city’s four wards “to assist with outreach and recruitment with an eye towards local candidates.”
“Ultimately, the panel would make recommendations for hire and assist in eliminating any concerns over transparency and/or nepotism,” wrote Suffern in a July 2 letter to the mayor and council.
Suffern was responding to “community concerns” to develop an interview panel for department applicants.
Moreover, his letter was in response to recent accusations by the Bergen County NAACP chapter president that he discriminated against an African American police candidate who had applied for promotion to captain. The candidate was not a city resident.
Suffern, who is black and Native American, denied the allegations and rebutted the charge in two letters strongly rejecting the NAACP’s charges of discrimination and call for him to apologize for his alleged racist remarks.
“At no time has any racial bias been present in the administration of the Englewood Police Department,” the chief wrote on June 24, rebutting NAACP charges of discrimination. “Now more than ever, more women and minorities are serving in uniform, bringing honor and distinction to our city,” he added.
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