Change would see police chief position restored, director of public safety eliminated
Cinnaminson Township Committee is expected to vote July 16 to reorganize the leadership of the town’s police department.
At a special meeting held June 28, committee introduced an ordinance eliminating the director of public safety position and replacing it with a chief of police.
“Right now, the current committee is committed to returning our police department back to one that is led by a chief of police and not a public safety director,” acting Mayor Donald Brauckmann said during the meeting.
The move comes after the township reached a $156,000 settlement with former director of public safety Michael “Mickey” King, who also served as township administrator.
As part of the settlement agreement, King dropped a whistleblower lawsuit he filed against the township in April. He is no longer employed by the municipality.
Cinnaminson switched to a director of public safety set-up in 2011 after a number of senior police officers retired, according to Brauckmann.
“Here we are seven years later, so now township committee is more than prepared to take our department back to where it’s been since its inception except for this period of time” between 2011 and 2018, Brauckmann said in an email.
The difference is that a police chief is a law enforcement officer who wears a badge and a uniform and carries a gun, while a director of public safety is a civilian appointed by the governing body to oversee the department, Brauckmann said.
“We’re very fortunate in Cinnaminson to have outstanding officers in our ranks, so I’m confident that the process will yield the best person to lead our department going forward,” he said at the meeting.
A public hearing and final vote on the restructuring is scheduled for July 16 at the township committee meeting, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the municipal building.
If the change is approved, Brauckmann said the township hopes to hire a police chief by the beginning of next year.
“We’re not in a rush, and we fully plan to do everything we can to make sure that we are making the correct decision,” he said.
The reason the ordinance was introduced at a special meeting was to expedite the process to meet New Jersey Civil Service Commission deadlines. Brauckmann said the township must have the new rules in place by August for Cinnaminson officers to register for the chief exam this December.
If the township misses the August cut-off, officers would have to wait about a year for the next chief’s test, according to Brauckmann.
In addition, Brauckmann said at the June 28 meeting that officials are in the process of setting up interviews in an attempt to fill the position of township administrator.
“That person’s input over the next several months will also be an additional mechanism that we can use that will help us evaluate available options regarding who our next chief will be,” he said.
Results from the state civil service exam and input from the new township administrator will be two of the components used in hiring the police department’s new leader.
“To assist us in identifying the officer who will take over the role of chief, we plan on using every tool at our disposal,” Brauckmann said.
