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Shared Services & Consolidation

During the month of May 2008, the Boroughs of Stratford & Somerdale formed committees respectively to explore the concept of shared law enforcement services. Most recently, Blue Shield Consultants of Morris County was selected to perform the study. The consulting firm was paid over $56,000.00 for the service. The study began October 1, 2009 and a draft copy was received in late 2010. After reviewing the report, Hi-Nella Borough passed a resolution to divorce their borough from the study and decided to maintain their own police department in its current form. During the month of August 2011, the

Borough of Stratford took several months to carefully review the final report. In response, the Borough concluded that there would be no financial benefit towards proceeding with the consolidation plan.

Magnolia and Laurel Springs Boroughs’ came to the same conclusion. Although not financially beneficial to consolidate, the merger report was helpful in determining other resources that could be shared among police departments. By exploring the concept, the intangible value of maintaining the local police force became much clearer to many involved in the process.

Camden County Police Regionalization Initiative

Throughout 2012, the Camden County Board of Freeholders advanced an initiative proposing a County run police department. According to published reports, Camden City is the only police department in Camden County whom has expressed any interest in joining this new public safety venture. Any other municipality who joins the Camden County Police Department will become a partner with Camden City to offer police protection as administered by the current Camden City Police Administration. The administration of the Stratford Police Department commends our elected officials for their commitment to the people of Stratford and its local police officers whom are personally committed to protecting and serving the community of Stratford.

Stratford Police Department, Police Officer Trading Card Program

After a few months of fundraising, the Stratford Police Department finalized our baseball trading card program. Numerous local businesses financially supported the program which has been well received by

37 the children and school district of Stratford. This program has been identified as a fantastic tool to keep our police officers personally in touch with the children of Stratford.

Electronic Traffic Ticketing System

In an effort to increase efficiencies and reduce labor costs, during the fall of 2012, the Stratford Borough Council utilized grant funds to purchase eight electronic traffic ticketing units for our patrol fleet. In doing so, Stratford has partnered with 6 other municipalities in Camden County under a cooperative shared service agreement. The “E-Ticketing” technology offers the below benefits:

 increased officer safety

 increased officer efficiency

 increased officer productivity

 decrease police records paper filings

 reduced error rate on ticket and computer entries

 decreased per ticket cost (hard copy versus- E-ticket) by .57 per summons (net costs .07 per ticket)

 real-time interdepartmental tracking of tickets & warnings reducing the workload on supervisors

 automatic docketing of all traffic ticket

 decreased work volume for the municipal court staff

 decreased paper filings for the municipal court staff

 decrease labor, pension and benefits cost for clerical personnel

38 Patrol Vehicle Replacement Program

As a matter of business, the borough of Stratford strives to replace two patrol vehicles per year. In doing so, the Chief and the designated motor pool officer carefully evaluate the use, mileage, condition of each police vehicle. Generally, the Stratford Police Department will de-commission a patrol car after approximately 10 years of service. Given the very nature of their use, the mileage, and existence of 50 speed bumps, it is

remarkable that a decade of patrol use are logged by most patrol cars. Currently our patrol fleet consists of the following patrol vehicles:

32-1 2013 Ford Explorer 4500

32-2 2009 Ford Crown Vic 68912

32-3 2012 Ford Crown Vic 25525

32-4 2007 Ford Expedition 86825

32-5 2007 Ford Crown Vic 121342

32-6 2006 Ford Crown Vic 111919

32-7 2012 Ford Interceptor 16275

32-8 2013 Ford Explorer 4500

32-9 2003 Ford Expedition 151751

32-10 2009 Ford Crown Vic 41980

32-11 2010 Ford Explorer 44949

32-12 2012 Ford Expedition 9700

Average Mileage Per Patrol Car 57,300

39 Miscellaneous Year 4 Special Initiatives Camden County Regional DWI Task Force

During the summer of 2009, the Stratford Police Department made application to the New Jersey Office of Highway Traffic Safety to receive federal funding for drunk driving enforcement. Consequently, 5 municipal police departments along the White Horse Pike corridor joined forces to develop the Camden County Drunk Driving Task Force. As of December 31, 2013, our Task Force has removed over 975 drunk drivers from our neighborhoods. Remarkably the Officers of the Stratford Police Department ranked as one of the top 5 police departments in the state of New Jersey in regards to Drunk Driving Enforcement. Having arrested over 260 drunk drivers during 2012, the Stratford Police Department removed more drunks than Camden City, Trenton and Newark Police Departments ALL COMBINED.

Your Stratford Police Officers are commended for their persistence and dedication to duty.

Camden County Crash Investigation Team (CRIT)

The Camden County Crash Investigation Team works under the direct supervision of the Camden County Prosecutors Office. The team members are all police officers whom are nominated by their respective agencies and accepted as Crash Investigators for the County Prosecutors Office. These agents are responsible for investigating fatal or near fatalities throughout Camden County. During 2011, Sergeant Robert Kelly was promoted to Team Leader and Patrolman Thomas Farrell was selected to be a team member. Tragically, these specially trained crash investigators were called upon to investigate fatal accidents on several occasions during the course of the year. Training and overtime expenses associated with the crash investigation team are paid for by the County of Camden. Collectively, during the year 2013, Sergeant Kelly and Patrolman Farell, investigated over a dozen fatal or near fatal

accidents in Camden County.

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SRT

Sterling Regional Special Response Team (SRT)

In 2006, the Stratford Police Department in cooperation with Somerdale Magnolia and Laurel Springs Police Departments formulated a Special Response Team. The Special Response Team was assembled, outfitted, equipped and trained to rapidly respond to a crisis or incident within the Sterling School District. While not a fully fledged SWAT Team, the regional Special Response Team is prepared to handle warrant services, barricaded suspects, and school threats. The team is essentially a gap filler between uniformed officers and a fully trained SWAT Team. During the month of October 2010, the respective participating communities renewed the inter-local shared services agreement to continue the SRT Team and make equipment purchases. Because of the risky nature of their work, our SRT Equipment list is confidential and cannot be published.

SRT Team Members

1. Patrolman Stephen Schmidt -Stratford 5. Sergeant Paul Sims - Somerdale 2. Patrolman Vincent Jess -Stratford 6. Patrolman Ken Righter - Stratford 3. Patrolman George Badey -Somerdale 8. Patrolman Sean Plaskett - Somerdale 4. Sergeant Scott Paris -Magnolia

41 Special Report "SPEED BUMPS - 15 YEARS LATER^"

It’s been nearly 15 years since the first speed bump was installed in front the Borough Hall located of 307 Union Avenue. Over the next 10 years, the speed bump program expanded and now a decade and a half later Stratford has installed over 75 speed bumps. Prior to installing the first speed bump, borough officials employed several different strategies to solve the problem of residential speeding. But each quick fix eventually failed, and the problem resurfaced. In reviewing some old statistics, I came across a 1998 speed and traffic volume survey that was conducted on Vassar Avenue near Mancini Field. Alarmingly in 1997, over 900 vehicles per day traveled Vassar Avenue at an average speeds 37 of miles per hour. Again in late 2002, the same study was conducted which measured similar traffic volume, yet the average velocity was 25 miles per hour. So just this year, the identical traffic study was conducted. The 2012 study found the traffic volume on Vassar Avenue had increased to almost 1100 vehicles per day, but the average speed was even slower at 23 miles per hour. While the results may vary somewhat from street to street, the Vassar Avenue study seems to fairly represent the effectiveness of the speed bump program. In addition to the raw data, the number of resident complaints, and neighborhood traffic crashes have decreased significantly over the past 15 years. As a consequence, speeding tickets on residential roadways are less common in 2013. Having patrolled our streets for over 20 years, it is clear that the speed bumps have positively changed the driving culture within our neighborhoods. Adore them or despise them, 15 years later mostly everyone agrees that the speed bumps slow traffic, thus reducing the percentages that a child will be injured by a speeding vehicle

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