Police Department Has New Strategy for Hiring Seasonal Officers This Summer

By MADDY VITALE Every summer, Sea Isle City hires seasonal police officers to help handle the surge in visitors during the vacation season. This year, it is changing its strategy a bit to make sure the coronavirus pandemic doesn't leave the town with a shortage of summer cops. Sea Isle Police Chief Tom McQuillen said he and his department are looking to hire seasonal Class II officers who are already trained in anticipation of the summer season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Special Law Enforcement Officer Class II police academy training in May is not likely to happen, he explained in an interview Thursday. McQuillen said that the idea to hire seasonal officers who are already trained originated with Sea Isle’s Detective Nick Giordano. He oversees the 100 yearly background checks of the city’s seasonal officers. Giordano said instead of Sea Isle having a potential lack of Class II officers for the upcoming season, why not look to those who already are certified. “This is how we are managing. These are outside-the-box ideas that historically we have not had to go to. We are just figuring out the best way to proceed,” McQuillen noted of hiring already trained Class II officers. “In an effort to fill the gap, we are seeking candidates that are already certified Class IIs somewhere else.” While the COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Cape May County and throughout the country, it is unclear what it will mean to tourism for Sea Isle and other shore towns. “We are hopeful that if we get one or two Class II officers out of this posting, we will stay ahead of the curve. We are all figuring out ways to navigate through this new sense of normal,” McQuillen noted. “We don’t have a crystal ball to see how tourism goes, but we are planning for a regular summer.” Police Chief Tom McQuillen hands a little girl a toy during a festival in 2018. The hope is that there will be communitywide events once again this summer after the pandemic. Class II officers are trained to carry guns and their duties include traffic direction, parking enforcement, crowd control at special events and municipal building and facilities security. The $13 an hour positions are for May through September. The 21 full-time member department hires about 23 Class II officers each year. According to the police department’s Facebook page for the Class II job posting, the department utilizes the additional officers when the population swells from 2,200 people to up to 100,000 people at the height of Sea Isle's summer tourism season. Each year, the officers respond to an average of 25,000 calls, the posting says. McQuillen explained that whether the summer of 2020 is a “regular summer” or not, the department will be prepared to provide the same level of police service that it always provides. In a time when nothing seems normal, the hope is that the summer will be a good season. McQuillen noted the foresight Giordano had in thinking to hire already trained Class II officers amid the pandemic. “He saw this as an opportunity to address our possible shortage this year,” McQuillen said. “I am sure there are other towns doing it. This is not only us. It is in every society. Every industry is being impacted. We are just trying to mitigate this situation as best as we can.” For more information, Class II officers are asked to contact Detective Nicholas Giordano via e-mail at [email protected] or at (609 263-4311, ext. 2300. Applications can be found on PoliceApp at https://bit.ly/2XYexSr