Township to Bring 2 Laid Off Cops Back in July

Bristol Township Manager Bill McCauley announced Tuesday that the township will be recalling two police officers from layoff  as of  July 1, 2013.

“I am very pleased to announce that we are able to recall two police officers six months earlier than I had anticipated due to the Township’s strong financial performance in 2012,” McCauley said in a press release from the township.

McCauley also pointed out safety for residents and their property is the township’s top priority and the plan is to rebuild the police force despite the fact decisions made by previous administrations made it necessary to reduce the size of the police force.

“As I told the Council in February of 2012, we could not afford our workforce and were looking at bankruptcy without drastic action,” McCauley said.

According to the press release Bristol Township Officers benefit from “generous” retirement plans while taxpayers struggle daily, while the richest townships in Bucks County don’t provide retirement packages where the average officer can retire with a more than healthy retirement fund, life time insurance, and minimal payments for prescriptions, while people residents pay the highest taxes in Bucks County.

Several officers and civilian police staff were cut as part of township-wide staff trimming as the municipality worked to avoid bankruptcy. As part of the cuts, members of the public works, parks and recreation, fiance, fire marshal’s office and code inspection department were also laid off or reduced to part-time workers in 2012.

McCauley has previously told residents and reporters that the cuts were necessary for the township’s financial health. He added that the township has been able to maintain the same level since restructuring the workforce.

Bristol Township faced a similar situation in the early 1990s when financial issues forced the local government to scale back the police department.

In recent months, residents have begun to voice concerns about under staffing of police force and a perceived increase in crime.

Sources inside the department recently told LevittownNow.com that call times have increased during peak hours since the layoffs and several patrol officers have voiced their concerns about staffing levels to officials and residents. During some shifts, according to an unnamed source in the patrol division, officers have been delayed for extended periods of time due to call backlogs.

On Tuesday, Council President Bob Lewis heaped praise on police officers for their commitment to work harder in the face of  cuts to cops on the street.

“I need to make it clear that the Council has no problem with our police officers—they have responded to the challenge of having fewer officers by working harder,” he said. “We love our police; this is simply an ability to pay issue,” Lewis went on, “We will be very happy to have them back.”

In his November 2012 letter about the approved 2013 budget, McCauley wrote that $85 million in unfunded liabilities existed. He added that unless the township’s municipal unions are willing to cooperate with collective bargaining agreements more layoffs or hour reductions could be possible down the road.

“This Township Council did not shirk from the tough decisions and now we can see some light at the end of the tunnel,” McCauley said on Tuesday.