Cinnaminson OKs Hiring New Police Officer

CORRECTION: The hiring of an additional officer will bring the department's complement to 24 full-time officers.
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The township will hire a new officer to keep Cinnaminson Police at full strength following the addition of a school resource officer (SRO) to the school district.

Township committee unanimously approved Monday the hiring of another officer to replace Officer Michael Czarzasty, who began making the rounds as SRO Monday. Czarzasty was appointed SRO at last month's Cinnaminson school board meeting. 

Public Safety Director Mickey King said the addition of another officer will bring the department's complement to 24 full-time officers, including Czarzasty. 

Committee also approved a shared service agreement with the board of education, which dictates that Czarzasty will be SRO for 10 months out of the year, with the school district picking up $89,000 of his salary, plus benefits. King explained Czarzasty is still a member of the police department—even though he's dedicated to the schools 80-plus percent of the year—and the township will pick up his salary for the two months he's back in the regular rotation of officers. 

King said the SRO position is a natural fit for Czarzasty, who has headed up the department's many community policing programs—including D.A.R.E. and its youth academies—the last few years.

"If ever you wanted to model a position around a person, Mike's the guy (for the SRO)," said King, though he noted that "every member of the department works hard to make those (community policing) programs work."

Czarzasty will continue to be in charge of community policing, along with a number of programs in the schools, including the character program at New Albany Elementary and district-wide anti-bullying efforts.

"It's a win-win for all entities involved," King said of Czarzasty's appointment.

The board of education still has to approve the shared services agreement.