N.J. departments get $47 mil from stimulus

By Leslie Kwoh and Alexi Friedman
Star-Ledger

NEWARK, N.J. — Police departments throughout New Jersey are getting an additional boost in funds this year as part of the federal stimulus package.

The state's law enforcement agencies are expected to receive a record-high $47.7 million out of $2 billion being distributed nationally, according to the Department of Justice. The money will be carved out of a $787 billion stimulus package President Obama signed into law last month.

For many of the 180 police departments slated to receive the funds, relief could not come any sooner.

Tight municipal budgets this year have forced many police forces around the state to downsize, said Jim Ryan, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association. In the past two months, nearly 360 New Jersey police officers have either lost a job or have been threatened with the loss of a job, association officials estimate.

"We definitely need that money," Ryan said. "The retention of officers is one of the toughest challenges of local government."

The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, which is how the money is being distributed, was launched in 2005 to help municipalities prevent and control crime. The program came into the spotlight last year when the federal government slashed funding by 65 percent to $107 million, according to Department of Justice figures. Grants for New Jersey fell to $3.9 million, from $11.2 million in 2007, prompting state Attorney General Anne Milgram to call on President Bush and Congress to restore the funding.

Yesterday, state officials expressed approval at the new figures.

"The global economic recession has hit every level of government and, clearly, every dollar counts," Gov. Jon Corzine said in a statement. "These funds will go a long way toward keeping police officers on the streets, keeping our communities safe, and curtailing potential property tax increases that otherwise may have been needed to continue critical services."

Corzine urged each municipality to apply for the grants. A total of $18 million has been allocated to individual towns - ranging from $10,000 for Brooklawn in Camden County, to $1.75 million for Newark and $1.83 million for Jersey City. Another $29.8 million will be granted to the state through the Division of Criminal Justice, which is charged with parceling it out to local departments.

The amount for each town is determined by the area's population and crime statistics. But in order to actually receive the money, departments must submit plans outlining how it plans to use the money. Details on the application process have not yet been released, according to Peter Aseltine, a spokesman for the Attorney General's Office.

But some towns already have a good idea of how they will spend the money.

In Elizabeth, Mayor J. Christian Bollwage said the police department plans to use the more than $500,000 grant for officer overtime in what he called "special neighborhood details," which are units tasked with cracking down on prostitution or drug problems that may be in a neighborhood. He added the extra manpower will also go to helping enforce the curfew in Union County's largest city, with 125,000 residents.

"It's a great boost to fight crime in neighborhoods. It affords us the opportunity to put extra officers on the street at peak hours," Bollwage said.

In Linden, Police Chief Michael Boyle envisioned using the money to bring in more officers to combat a growing problem of shoplifting and car thefts, a trend he attributes to the continuing economic slide. More officers, he said, would mean more visibility, discouraging these types of crimes.

Meanwhile, in Westfield, where there is little violent crime, Police Chief John Parizeau said the $11,000 the town has been allotted might be used to fund specialized enforcement like pedestrian safety in areas where motor vehicle speeding is a recurring problem. While he would like to have seen more money, he said, "I'll take what I can get."

Morristown Police Chief Pete Demnitz said the $80,000 allotted to his department may not be enough to make an impact. The 55-man department has lost five officers through attrition in the last two years, and Demnitz said he was not aware of any plans to hire new officers. He said he would brainstorm other ways of using the money.

"It will not even cover one police officer," he said of the grant. "The amount of the money the council has used when it talks about hiring one police officer is $100,000."

Leslie Kwoh may be reached at lkwoh@starledger.com or (973) 392-4147. Alexi Friedman may be reached at afriedman@starledger.com or (908) 351-4654.
"We definitely need that money. The retention of officers is one of the toughest challenges of local government." --JIM RYAN, spokesman for New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association.

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