The Wall Township PBA Local #234 is the union of police officers employed by the Wall Township Police Department in Wall Township, New Jersey. As a non-profit labor organization, the PBA is funded by member's dues, donations by Wall residents, and fundraising activities conducted on an annual basis.

The Wall PBA donates tens of thousands of dollars each year for benevolent causes to include scholarship funds, charities, financial assistance to families of fallen or critically ill officers, and for worthy causes that better Wall Township.

We are proud and faithful servants of the wonderful residents of Wall and sincerely appreciate the overwhelming support and acts of generosity that we receive.

If you would like to contact a member of the Wall PBA, please send your request to webmaster@wallpba.org and indicate the name of the member and your message will be forwarded.

We would like to thank you for the overwhelming show of support for the PBA at the council meeting on 10/14. We are proud to serve such a supportive and wonderful town!

At the meeting, President Bono asked the Town for time to allow the Union to consider the Town's position and review an independent forensic financial audit that is being conducted regarding the Town's finances. Additionally, the Union would like to offer additional cost saving ideas to assist the Town.

Despite what appeared to be approval and support of the Union's request on behalf of the Committee, the Town has formally announced to Chief of Police David Morris that layoff notices will be sent to police officers on November 13th, in an amount which will equate to the difference between a $633,000.00 projected budget shortfall and the cost savings suggestions offered by police officers.

This would represent both a significant jeopardy to the safety of Wall's citizens and a waste of more than $420,000.00 spent by the town training the officers, collectively. Additionally, with the impending reitrement of 14 officers in the next four years, such a decision would, in effect, decimate the Police Department only to immediately thereafter force massive hiring, a huge waste of the Town's revenue.

The PBA remains resolute in our inent to work with the Township to find cost saving measures and appreciate the economic problems reportedly affecting the Town, however, hope that the Committee will honor its commitment to consider alternatives to layoffs.

President Heath Bono: "We are ready to do our part to help the Town during these tough economic times, I only ask for the continued patience of the council for a couple more weeks while we review the books..."

Mayor Michael Clayton: "If you need some more time, we'll be... no problem with giving you that... a little more time to work with this. We do appreciate all the work you guys do, you guys go beyond and above the call of duty. We hear that echoed in other towns and through the Citizens here and I want to thank you personally..."

- Wall PBA rallies support in a packed house at the Township Committee Meeting on 10/14/09.
- Residents speak out against reducing already depleted Police Department manpower.
- Resident from Summit Ave. quotes budget overview presented by Committeeman Clint Hoffman which states that in 1975 the Wall Township Police Department was comprised of 35 officers who answered an average of 214 calls per officer. In 2008, the Police Department was staffed by 71 officers who answered an average of 845 calls per officer. By reducing the Department manpower by 24%, the resulting calls per officer number would be over 1,000 calls per officer per year! The resident illustrated that this is far too much to ask of the remaining officers and would obviously affect citizen safety and call response times.
- Resident from Love Ln. states, "I am asking each of you to reconsider your decision of layoffs and to not place public safety in jeopardy for the residents of our community and to keep, in tact, one of the finest police departments in the State. You need to dig deep and find other cuts that can be made that will save our officers and secure the comfort of our community. Where did the money go? Fiscal responsibility lies upon each and every one of you, do not place the burden on the backs of our police officers and citizens to come up with a budget for public safety... You all need to look into the deferred pension payments and where have they gone? What was that money used for? The responsibility for this mess should not be laid on the backs of our hard working officers."
Committeeman Hoffman: "...Nobody on this Township Committee has ever asked for a layoff, those words did not come out of this Township Committee's mouth, we're not looking for that, we're not asking for that, we have asked our unions to come up with ideas. We have offered one. We have never, ever, asked for layoffs. Unfortunately, if nothing else happens, that becomes the only tool available at the end of the day, but we don't want that."

Committeeman Clint Hoffman, on behalf of the Township Committee, prepared a synopsis of the 2009 Wall Budget and its history during the past decade. The report can be downloaded and viewed in several forms and is available on the Wall Township official website located at http://www.wallnj.com/. This report is very understandable and well presented and the PBA encourages every resident, whether or not they support the Police, to review the report. Additionally, we encourage residents to begin attending Township Committee meetings. The Town Committee serves at the pleasure of residents and your voice is important!

In the most general of terms, the Township has reached a point where it is unable to afford to maintain its services to residents at 100% capacity. This requires sacrifices to be made and some services to be diminished or eliminated.

The Township Committee is faced with the burden of selecting the extent to which services to residents are decreased or halted. The Wall Township Police Department has already temporarily eliminated over $1M of expenditures from its 2009 budget in support of the Town's initiative for cost-cutting. In real terms, however, this means that many services offered by the Police Department have been eliminated or suspended. If you would like to learn more about the Police Department, please visit http://www.wallpolice.org/ and click on the link to downlad the Wall Township Police Department Annual Report. Please take note of the fact that the Annual Report is a synopsis of 2008 and does not reflect the reduction in manpower from the full staffing level of 71 to the current level of 65 officers.

A Few of the Police Department Programs Eliminated Due To The Financial Crisis:

- Special Response Team: The Special Response Team was staffed by highly trained officers whose mission was to respond to critical incidents to include active shooters present in a populated area such as a school. The Wall Township SRT program was the foundation upon which the Monmouth County SRT team was established. However, Wall's team offered a substantially shorter response time within Wall Township than can be afforded by a County based team.

- Underwater Rescue Team: The "Dive Team" as it was known was comprised of officers certified for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) rescue operations. Because of the high number of lakes and ponds in Wall Township, the Chief of Police supported a specialized unit that could respond to critical calls such a a child trapped under ice and offer the greatest probability of a life saving rescue.

- Emergency Medical Technician Program: The EMT program afforded a high level of medical training for officers who were nationally certified in advanced life saving skills. The EMT program proved invaluable during countless calls when Wall Police Officers saved the lives of residents who were experiencing cardiac arrest upon police arrival. Though there is no longer funding for officers to receive training as EMTs, nor funding for re-certification, several officers have elected to pursue recertification during off duty time because of the importance of their skills.

Should the Township of Wall eliminate other services to maintain the protection of Wall Township families and property afforded by an adequately staffed police department?

The PBA encourages you to voice your opinion at the next Township Committee meeting.

Thanks to Status Green for making the 2009 Pignic a great event! Status Green is a great band currently opening for famous groups to include Creed. Check them out on iTunes and download their latest albums!

Wall Township Police Department
Township of Wall
Monmouth County Police Pipes and Drums
New Jersey State PBA
Wall Foundation for Educational Excellence
MADD of New Jersey