Police Union Supports Creation of Public Safety Director Position

In a statement, PBA Local #76, the union for Springfield's police, endorsed the creation of public safety director for the Township. The job was presented as part of an ordinance introduced at the Township Committee's Nov. 10 meeting. The person in the position would head the newly created Department of Public Safety, and have authority over both the police and fire departments.

This past September, the PBA voted 34 to 4 in a no confidence vote in Springfield Police Chief William Chisholm, who has headed the department since 1986. As the Newark Star-Ledger reported, the no confidence vote was a public sign of disapproval for the chief's alleged "lack of communication, support and leadership."

In the release, the PBA indicated they welcomed the oversight the new position would bring.

"The Springfield PBA has made public our dissatisfaction with the lack of direction and leadership within our department and we have asked the Township Committee for their assistance," PBA President Jim Morton said in the statement. "This appears to be a step in that direction."

The release continues to say "[h]istory has demonstrated, in places like Elizabeth and elsewhere in NJ, that a Public Safety Director can work in conjunction with a chief of police to improve the culture of a police department and enhance public safety in a community."

The ordinance will have a final hearing on Nov. 24.