Egg Harbor Township Services Bureau

Logistics

The Logistics Officer works closely with the Chief’s Office with all purchasing matters. Along with purchasing, our Logistics Officer was responsible for the transportation of criminal evidence to various State Police Laboratories located in Hammonton, Sea Girt and West Trenton. Such evidence requiring special analysis includes narcotics, alcohol blood kits, sexual assault kits, arson and ballistic-related material. All of these transports are done on an “as needed” basis, but usually occurred two to three times a week in 2003. We predict the same if not more transportation in 2004 due to the volume of evidence collected, the better collection procedures, and advanced technology for analysis.

Logistics was also impacted by the events of September 11, 2001. As a result of the events of that day, this department was required to provide additional officers to the Atlantic City International Airport for mandatory duty for homeland security purposes. Subsequently, we entered into a contract with the newly created Federal Transportation Security Administration. As a result, police officers are now permanently assigned to the airport screening checkpoint. Logistics is responsible for tracking these officers for billing purposes. Furthermore, it will continue to complete the normal work scheduling, assignments, and billing outside entities for officers needed to work additional overtime details such as road construction and school activities.

Training

The majority of our training is State-mandated in-service law enforcement training. Mandated training in 2003 included Use of Force, Vehicular Pursuit Policy, Impact Tools, Unarmed Defense, Domestic Violence, Blood borne Pathogens, Right to Know and First Aid. In 2004, additional topics to be covered are Vehicle Operations, Hazardous Materials, Victim/Witness Services and K-9 Familiarization.

In 2003 many of the civilian employees in Records, Communications, and Data Processing attended numerous seminars for particular topics related to their everyday duties regarding NCIC.

All of our sworn personnel qualified with firearms biannually, as well as participating in the department’s annual Fitness Indicator Test.

In light of the increasing threat of terrorist activity and the use of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) all of our police personnel received training related to WMD Awareness and Operations. Additionally, our Supervisory and Command personnel received training in Incident Command Systems, Levels I and II.

A number of officers completed specialized training related to traffic investigation and community policing. Much of this training is conducted at the Anthony Canale Training Center on a regional level. As part of a county-wide agreement, this department provided officers on a periodic rotating basis throughout the year to serve as instructors in their various subjects of expertise. In addition to officers being assigned to conduct in-house and regional training, many of our officers also are assigned to teach Police Cadets who are undergoing Basic Training at the Atlantic County Police Academy.

Volunteers in Policing

The Police Department organized and conducted its first Citizens Police Academy.It consisted of 33 hours of instruction that was designed to provide the participants with a comprehensive knowledge of different facets of the organization and operation of our agency. In addition, it was our goal to provide the citizens who attended, enough information to dispel suspicions and misconceptions, and to increase rapport through the educational process. As a result, officers also learned about the public’s feelings and concerns.

Ten participants successfully completed the 11 week program and now volunteer their time and expertise to various assignments throughout the Police Department on a daily and weekly basis. This enables officers to be able to complete more serious tasks while saving the municipality the cost of salary and wage.

During 2003 all of our personnel participated in CD-ROM training in the areas of Traffic Stop Procedure. Ethics will be slated for CD-Rom training in 2004.The Traffic Stop procedures training takes between three to four hours to complete and covers the legal requirements of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, additional requirements of the New Jersey Constitution, and various court interpretations. These requirements are ingeniously interwoven with actual police practice to help those who make traffic stops understand what can and cannot be done.

Police Ethics is an important issue in Law Enforcement. Police officers are always ready to risk their lives to help people in need. They are “tower runners” by nature with a built-in propensity to do whatever it takes to get the bad guy. All for the very best of motives. But the problem arises when noble cause behavior degenerates into noble cause corruption. The Ethics CD-Rom will walk officers through a variety of scenarios illustrating how to begin resolving this dilemma.

Unit The Records Unit has a staff of four clerks and a supervisor. They are responsible for the inquiry, maintenance, correlation and dissemination of all reports generated by the Police Department.

The clerks work staggered shifts to accommodate public inquiries and to assist the Patrol Division in the daily operations of the department. They answer all general public questions and screen complaints in person and by telephone. Each clerk has been trained to accept various type of police reports to allow officers more time to devote to their duties.

The Records Unit is charged with many Police Department mandated responsibilities. Included is the preparation of the Uniform Crime Report for the Chief of Police and the State of New Jersey; the submission to the Federal, State and County Governments of all fingerprint cards and related data; the Court Ordered Expungements for Criminal History cases in our jurisdiction; the preparation of all Indictable cases which are forwarded to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office within 48 hours of their occurrence, and the preparation of Criminal and Civil Court discovery cases as well as accident report cases for insurance companies.

Other activities include the collection of all vehicle and storage fees as well as other monies collected for reports. In 2003, the Records Clerks prepared over 2,000 criminal complaints for the Egg Harbor Township Court on behalf of the Police Department. They also provided relief in the absence of other clerks throughout the Police Department and destroyed old records in accordance with State guidelines. Finally, they prepared numerous record checks for multiple government agencies such as other law enforcement agencies in every level of government, the Armed Forces and the Gaming Industry for various reasons.

In 2004, with the approval of the New Jersey State Archives, we will begin a new microfilming process that will allow us the flexibility to go paperless with many of our records. It will also allow us to purge a greater amount of older records to make room for the projected building expansion. We anticipate all records to be computerized, including those requiring electronic scanning and transfer, by the end of 2004.

Finally, we received an Egg Harbor Township High School CBE Student to work in the Records room in 2004. The program was a considerable success, enabling records to accomplish a greater volume of clerical work and reducing overtime. In 2005 we will continue this program.

Information Technology Unit

Click: See the page for the Information Technology Unit

Home | Top of Page