When the terror alert rises, so does a need for police vigilance. Secaucus received $70,000 in state money last week to help allay additional costs taken on by police in their efforts to maintain homeland security.
The money was part of a $32 million statewide tax relief package released last week, dubbed the Municipal Homeland Security Police Assistance Aid Program.
The program was created to reduce property taxes. If cities get more state aid for their budgets, they won’t need as much from their residents’ municipal taxes.
The program is administered through the Department of Community Affairs’ (DCA) Division of Local Government Services and is funded through the fiscal year 2005.
“The purpose was to provide tax relief, recognizing that the cost of police will go up all over New Jersey every time the terror alert changes,” said DCA Commissioner Susan Bass-Levin.
The money was distributed to the towns on the basis of population, as more highly populated towns tend to be closer to metropolitan areas and other possible targets.
“New Jersey is unique in that we are close to New York and Philadelphia, with airports, train stations, nuclear power plants, and chemical factories,” said Levin. “We have a lot of prime targets.”
Among the towns, Bayonne will receive $140,000; Hoboken, $140,000; Jersey City, $140,000; North Bergen, $140,000; Union City, $140,000; Weehawken, $70,000; and West New York, $140,000.
According to Town Administrator Anthony Iacono, Secaucus will use the money for tax relief, to appear in the fall tax bill. Towns have previously absorbed additional expenses since the attacks.
The cost since 9/11
“I think since September 11, there have been additional duties and concerns with all police departments,” said Iacono. “There are additional costs, and this is a small token.”
Since the attacks, Secaucus has had to expand its security duties and respond to a number of confidential threat possibilities.
After terrorists set off a bomb in a subway station in Madrid last year, Secaucus police added extra attention to the Secaucus Transfer Station. Other responses have been to place undercover officers in malls and shopping areas.
According to Police Captain John Buckley, Secaucus hasn’t received any additional funds related to terror alerts. Secaucus managed by shifting priorities which sometimes involved increased overtime expenses, although not enough to affect the police budget, which currently stands between $3.5 and $4 million.
“Municipal police have a habit of managing to get by with what we’re given,” Buckley said. “In my position as a detective captain, there has never been an incident where I didn’t have the appropriate amount of people to do what I needed to do.”
Buckley said that any additional funds are welcome, as it is standard for a police department to need more staff and equipment.
“Every police department needs more people; just ask any chief of Police,” Buckley said.
Buckley said that the department has received limited training and limited equipment related to homeland security, but declined to discuss it in more detail.
“If somebody realizes what our capabilities are, they would try to circumvent those capabilities,” he said.
State, federal money available
In addition to the $32 million, New Jersey has appropriated $94 million in its state budget for homeland security services that the state provides, plus a $10 million grant program to be administered by the state Department of Law and Public Safety.
For the 2005 fiscal year, the U.S. House of Representatives has approved a federal $30.8 billion homeland security package. The bill still has legislative steps to go through before it becomes a law.
The money will go to states in the form of state allocations, grants for which recipients must apply, and specific programs. At this point, it is too early to determine how much will go to New Jersey.
Before it becomes law, a Senate version must be passed. Then a conference committee consisting of members of both houses must draft a bill incorporating both the House and Senate versions, which must go through both houses again.
Congressman Steve Rothman (D-9th Dist.) feels that the money should be allocated on a basis of risk level, rather than population.
“New Jersey is need of more homeland security than cornfields in Iowa,” said Rothman spokesperson Jeff Leiberson.
According to Leiberson, Rothman has secured approximately $400 million in homeland security funds in the last three years, including money for first responders, port and airport security, and mass transit spending. The money includes new emergency communication equipment for first responders, grants for firefighters, and security cameras for the Division of Motor Vehicles.
“He continues to hear on a regular basis about the need for funding for additional equipment and resources locally,” said Leiberson, who said that he was referring to requests for specific items, rather than a generalized increase in police force.
According to Iacono, Secaucus has applied for a number of federal grants, including for a community awareness program which brings professionals into the community to educate residents about which kinds of activities should be reported to the police.
Iacono admitted that Secaucus might not qualify for every aid package, as it is at a lower risk than larger cities with busier transportation hubs.
“In Secaucus’s case, we would not be a top priority compared to Newark, because of the airport and the train station,” Iacono said. “We have 15,000 and they have 500,000 residents.”