Dear Editor:

On June 9th, the residents of Hoboken have a crucial decision to make in deciding who will be leading our great city for the next 4 years. As President of the Hoboken Policemen’s Benevolent Association, I want to explain to you why your decision CANNOT be Councilwoman Dawn Zimmer.

In my opinion, Zimmer has shown that she does not have a strong interest in or rational understanding of what public safety is or how providing it works. We all acknowledge the economic downturn our country is experiencing; and history has proven that in such times; violence, thefts, burglaries and overall crime increases and more not less police are needed. Zimmer has gone public “commending” the actions of Fiscal Monitor Judith Tripodi regarding layoffs. Regardless of the fact that I have, on many occasions, informed the city council and public that we are short 19 patrol officers and crime has risen in our city. Public Safety layoffs would result in added cuts in neighborhood police patrols and specialized service bureaus within the city. Bureaus such as Community Policing (foot patrol officers & quality of life enforcement responsibilities) which has only 7 officers today when it used to have 25. A School Safety Bureau which had cops in our schools in 2007 but now has none, a cut which has left your children defenseless in a time of increased juvenile related violence, gang activities and anti-social behavior in our schools. A Public Housing Bureau which has also been disbanded due to cuts over the past two years. A Traffic Enforcement Bureau presently understaffed and facing additional cuts in a time when rush-hour traffic congests our roadways, careless motorists endanger pedestrians and parking violator complaints have increased.

The police department lost ten positions in 2006 through a reduction in supervisor and patrol officer staffing. And 16 layoffs of police officers are scheduled for June 20th which will further seriously impact the safety of our citizens. Cuts that would be a catastrophic public safety mistake and would not only increase officers work load and stress but also decrease police response time to calls for service and in emergencies and place existing officers at risk when back-up is needed and not available.

These Zimmer supported cuts in public safety would not result in any significant savings to the taxpayers but would in fact force police overtime costs to skyrocket, and place our city in danger. But this is what Zimmer wants!

As a Police Department, we strive to deliver the best services possible, and we can only provide that when we have the officers available to patrol and the supervisory and managerial staff that allows us to provide the city with the specialized bureaus that I mentioned above.

On Tuesday, June 9th, I ask you to seriously consider your family’s safety and security and elect proven leaders who understand the importance of public safety and how best to provide it. Vote Peter Cammarano for Mayor, and Alicea, Addeo, and Morales II for City Council-At-Large.



Respectfully yours,
Vince Lombardi, President
Hoboken Policemen’s Benevolent Association