Police Temporarily Cut SWAT Team

The Millburn Police Department will be operating temporarily without its SWAT team.

Millburn Police Chief David Barber said Thursday the team has been cut temporarily because of manpower and money issues. He couldn't say how much money the department would save by cutting the team, but he said it was significant.

"Until things turn around, we'll do without it," he said. "With the current economic times, we couldn't justify it."

The money spent on the team, which Barber said has never been used, isn't in just the line item for equipment. There's also training for the officers, he said, and there is an overtime cost to fill in for them while they're training.

The Millburn Police Department is down by five officers—three have left because of retirement and two are out on leave—and there could be three more retirements by June, Barber said. "We need the guys on the street," he said.

For now, the state police will provide a SWAT team if there is a need for it in Millburn, Barber said. The state police have three teams in each the north, central and south regions, he said. If the north region team is not available, the county sheriff's office also has a SWAT team, he said.

Township Administrator Tim Gordon said during tough difficult times it's important for all of the township's departments to examine services that may overlap with another agency. There are other agencies such as the state police and county sheriff's department that could provide the service, he said, but it doesn't mean the change is forever.

Township officials need to get back to the basic things they do to serve the public, Gordon said. "Resources are such that if we have things that are overlapping, let's not fund it all," he said.

As far as manpower at the police department, Barber said police officials will need to examine how to align their officers next year. They also may have to use overtime to fill in holes.