Consolidation Case Study: Lake Como
Facts of the case
In May 2016, Lake Como, which was part of Bradley Beach
Local 50, voted to disband its police department and contract
services to neighboring Belmar, also in Local 50. Five officers
were laid off. In April 2016, residents voted down a budget pro-
posal that would have allowed the borough to maintain its po-
lice force. Instead, the Borough Council executed a five-year
contract with Belmar for police services.
Action items
• The State PBA put Local 50 in touch with a forensic accoun-
tant, who determined that Lake Como’s financial hardship
was due to mismanagement by the current and previous ad-
ministrations.
• Local 50 tried to get that information out to the public be-
fore the vote to generate more public support for law en-
forcement.
• Local 50 brought in the mayors from Belmar and Lake Como
to meet with President Pat Colligan and Executive Vice Pres-
ident Marc Kovar at the State PBA office. They proposed
multiple options so that officers wouldn’t lose their jobs, in-
cluding Lake Como renting out its midnight shift to Belmar.
• At a Feb. 18 Lake Como City Council meeting, Local 50 State
Delegate Mike Tardio and members of Local 50 questioned
whether disbanding Lake Como would lead to an increase
in crime.
• Most of the residents in attendance at the Feb. 18 meeting
who chose to speak expressed concerns about how to con-
trol the raucous bar crowds that spill over into the streets of
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NEW JERSEY COPS
■ AUGUST 2017
When Lake Como Mayor Brian Wilton decided to run for Monmouth
County freeholder and touted saving money by shutting down his town’s
police department, members of Local 50 came out to protest at one of
his fundraisers.
the quarter-square-mile borough during the summertime
without a police force.
Learning events
• Support system: “In trying publicly to get the governing
body to change its mind, the most important lesson we
learned is that we did not have the public support or the
political support,” Tardio said.
• It’s politics: “Whether you like them or not, develop rela-
tionships with your local politicians,” Tardio added. “You
need to go to their political events, so when you go to a
council meeting they will know you and listen to you.”
• Fool me once: Local 50 requested financial documents from
other towns in its Local and hired another forensic accoun-
tant to review them. “You can’t let it go. You can’t forget,”
Tardio said. “It could happen again.” d