WOODCLIFF LAKE—An ordinance that provides for an “unnecessary expansion” of the police department — according to one councilman — was approved by a 4-1 council majority at the Feb. 13 Borough Council meeting.
Except for an opposing councilman, Richard Schnoll, offering an opposing view and vote, the ordinance passed easily. Councilwoman Jacqueline Gadaleta was absent. We reached out to Schnoll but did not hear back by press time.
Schnoll, who serves on town committees for Finance and Audits, Police Department, and Legal (Personnel and Ordinances) said Ordinance 23-01 creates openings in the police department, noting last year the police department cost taxpayers over $3 million in its annual budget, which totaled over 20% of the borough’s budget.
He said “openings tend to be filled” and noted the ordinance could create at least seven to eight new positions.
The ordinance increases the composition of the police department setting “a maximum” for specific positions described in the revised ordinance.
“The mayor and council can appoint persons to fill these positions, together with determining their compensation, as deemed necessary for the protection of the public safety and welfare,” states Ordinance 23-01.
The resolution allows the mayor and council to create a police department to provide no more than one police chief, deputy police chief, and captain; no more than two lieutenants and six sergeants; and up to 15 patrol officers; up to 10% SLEO II officers; and up to two SLEO III officers.
“The ranks of lieutenant, captain and deputy chief are considered command level personnel and no more than three officers will be in such level at any one time,” states the ordinance.
Rendo said during his Feb. 15 Facebook Live broadcast that when he was a council president a few years back there was a belief that the police department was “a little top heavy” and the captain’s position was eliminated.
“We felt that we needed more patrolmen rather than supervisory staff,” said the mayor.
He said the personnel changes approved impact taxes and the structure of patrols. He said the police committee, composed of himself, councilwoman Josephine Higgins and Schnoll, had met on the issue of department command structure.
Rendo said the new command structure includes not only a captain’s position, it includes a deputy chief position, two lieutenants, and six sergeants which “the potential is that they get filled” even though they are not filled now,” he said.
Rendo, who does not vote except to break a council tie, said the “bottom line is to protect the purse strings, but at the same time I do not want to jeopardize our residents. We’ve had issues with public safety. I support our police 110% in many ways but we have to be reasonable at times and we have to see if we can make do with the personnel that we have.”
Rendo said he was “very concerned about” that and told the police chief. He said the ordinance passed despite his and Schnoll’s opposition.