By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Sea Isle City’s Police Department is looking to hire more officers and plans to take advantage of a new state law to recruit “the best of the best.”
Previously, New Jersey police departments were required to hire officers from agencies that were part of the Civil Service program, officials said.
A law approved this year by the state Legislature has relaxed that requirement, giving police departments more flexibility to recruit and hire new officers through what is known as the “Alternate Route Appointments Program.”
“I anticipate this is the future in recruiting and selection. You’ll be able to recruit the best of the best,” Sea Isle Police Chief McQuillen said.
George Savastano, Sea Isle’s business administrator, said the alternate hiring program represents “another avenue to retain qualified police officers.”
Under the previous rules, prospective police officers had to pass the Civil Service law enforcement exam prior to becoming eligible for employment as an entry-level officer.
But under the new law, the Civil Service Commission will exempt from the exam any person who successfully completes a police training course approved by the New Jersey Police Training Commission, according to a copy of the bill.
The old rules had limited New Jersey law enforcement agencies from recruiting and hiring qualified candidates.
“It only exposed us to half of the available candidates,” McQuillen said of the old system.
Louis Bordi, president of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, said Civil Service dates back to 1871 and is in need of reform to reflect modern hiring needs for police departments.
“Today, some of those rules are obsolete. They make it nearly impossible for police departments to recruit people of color, despite the fact police chiefs and local officials want their ranks to better reflect the ethnic, cultural and religious diversity of their respective communities,” Bordi wrote in an opinion piece published in NJ.com in June.
McQuillen explained that the new law will greatly speed up the process for the hiring of officers and getting them out on the street.
“It expands our recruiting tool tremendously,” he said. “This allows us to get out and actively recruit people who are qualified and have already been through the police academy.”
Newly hired police officers will still be required to pass Sea Isle’s medical, physical and psychological exams. They will also have to go through 12 weeks of Sea Isle’s officer field training, McQuillen said.
To start, Sea Isle is looking to hire two new officers, but will consider adding more depending on how many are needed in the future, he said.
Hiring more police officers is part of the city’s strategy to prevent groups of unruly teenagers from disrupting the busy summer tourism season. Sea Isle has increased its police patrols on the oceanfront Promenade and other popular spots in town in response to complaints of foul language, underage drinking, vandalism and theft this summer.
By adding new full-time officers now, the police department will have more patrols to stop outbreaks of teenage rowdiness next summer, McQuillen pointed out.
“We’re taking steps now so we’ll hit the ground running for the summer,” he said.
Starting pay for a rookie officer in Sea Isle is around $42,000 annually, which is comparable to other police departments, McQuillen said.
McQuillen said Sea Isle offers distinct advantages for young officers who want to make law enforcement their career, including working for a fully accredited police department that is located at the shore.
“Certainly I’m a little bit partial, but I think our department has a pretty good reputation,” he said. “It is an attractive workplace.”
