Bail Reform Expected To Cost Extra $100,000 In Police OT: Howell Chief

HOWELL, NJ — The bail reform act that went into effect Jan. 1 has forced Howell Township Police Department to request an extra $100,000 in overtime in the 2017 budget, Howell's police chief says.

Howell Police Chief Andrew J. Kudrick shared an article about the issues with bail reform from the U.S. Bail Reform News website, which has been sharing reports about the impact of the state's bail reform law.

The report quoted an article from the Howell Times that reported Court Administratior Rosemary O'Donnell said the bail reform law has doubled the caseload of the municipal cout.

“Before, we would only handle disorderly persons or petty disorderly persons cases. Now, we are getting remanded from the prosecutor’s office and the criminal division fourth-degree and, believe it or not, a lot of third-degree cases,” O’Donnell said, according to the Howell Times report.

The bail reform act, which took effect Jan. 1, aimed to prevent poor defendants who could not afford bail from being held on minor charges while affluent defendants were able to post bail on more serious crimes.

"Although unintended, the consequences of the newly enacted Bail Reform has led the police department to increase overtime by $100,000," Kudrick said. "This has resulted in the loss of a police officer position as well as decreased coverage on the road. Officers are now spending a significant amount of time processing offenders and criminal complaints because of procedural requirements."

"Although the actual costs and impact won't be realized until year's end, the law abiding public has been negatively effected since the implementation on January 1st," Kudrick said.

Editor's note: This article was originally published March 26, 2017 and was updated to clarify that the $100,000 is what Police Chief Andrew Kudrick is anticipating for 2017, not a current cost. The Patch regrets the error.

Image via Howell Township Police Department