Trenton, NJ Laying Off 150, Including 108 Police Officers
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) - The City of Trenton is planning its third round of municipal layoffs in three years, and this time police officers are among those affected.
The plan, submitted last week to the New Jersey Civil Service Commission, calls for the layoff of 108 police officers and supervisors which, when paired with 42 job cuts in other departments, will save the city about $5½ million.
George Dzurkoc, president of the Trenton Police Benevolent Association, notes that similar cuts in other cities such as Camden and Atlantic City were later scaled back after crime rates crept up.
"Violent crime numbers are higher than they ever been, and I don't see how, with the people we have now, taking away 108 people or whatever the ultimate number is going to end up being, that the city can be policed effectively," he told KYW Newsradio today.
A representative for Mayor Tony Mack declined comment, saying layoff notices have not yet gone out. Those notices will be sent on August 1st, with an effective date in mid-September.
Reported by David Madden, KYW Newsradio 1060
