Woodlynne gets police force again

The police radios chirped: Burglary in progress in Woodlynne.

A woman came home to find a boyish stranger in an upstairs bedroom, holding her underwear. He ran before police arrived, but left a gray sweatshirt.

Two shiny new Woodlynne squad cars raced to the home a block away. Officers called the Camden County Sheriff's Office for K-9 assistance. One Woodlynne officer carried out evidence in two brown paper bags.

"I'm a little upset we didn't grab this guy," said Officer Walter Schilling, 36, now working in Woodlynne after having been laid off by the Winslow department.

A parking complaint, a domestic-violence call, and the burglary made Wednesday one of the busier mornings since the newly formed force took over patrols this week, four years after the department was shut down.

A contract with neighboring Collingswood, whose officers had been patrolling Woodlynne, ended at 12:01 a.m. Sunday. New Woodlynne officers, most laid off from other area departments, are now patrolling the small borough.

But not everything is as new as the radios, two police cars, and uniforms.

The silver badges are from previous Woodlynne officers. Some officers wear bulletproof vests their former chiefs allowed them to keep. Most of the .40-caliber handguns are left over from the old department, but cleared for use.

The police SUV and uniform caps haven't even arrived yet.

Officers will hold the rank of patrolman, work 12-hour shifts, and make about $32,000 a year. At least two officers said their salaries will drop by $20,000 to $30,000 in Woodlynne, but they say they're grateful to be working as officers again. "The money may not be here, but my heart is," said Michael O'Rourke, 36, a former Winslow officer.

Woodlynne is likely the first town to disband its force and then start a new one, said Matthew Weng, a spokesman for the state League of Municipalities. Woodlynne has hired 11 officers, and may hire one or two more.

Six were laid off by other departments, including Collingswood and Cherry Hill. Two are in the police academy. Three are special officers, meaning they perform duties with restrictions and are paid less.

"People my age will never get an opportunity like this - being the foundation of a new department," said 22-year-old Kevin Sloan, who worked for Hi-Nella police for a year before being laid off this year.

The Woodlynne station is about 15 feet by 40 feet, with two cherry-colored desks donated from a closed bank branch and a detention bench where a holding cell once stood. The borough of about 3,300 people will use the county dispatch system.

On Sunday, an officer defused a dispute between grocery store owner Julio Melo and an unruly customer, who ate half of a Panzarotti and refused to pay. "They really want to do the job to protect businesses," said Melo, who did not press charges.

Officers are working without a contract as negotiations continue with the police union. Mayor Jeraldo Fuentes said he hopes the police budget will come in under $800,000, the cost to run the department before it was disbanded. The borough isn't getting any state aid for the department, Fuentes said. The borough paid Collingswood about $700,000, he said.

"It's going to be a tight budget," he said.

Edwin Figueroa, 62, a former Camden police chief, will serve as the civilian director of public safety, likely a temporary post. Figueroa, who retired in 2006, will make $60,000 with no benefits, Fuentes said. "We had to bring someone in with experience," Fuentes said.

Woodlynne leaders decided to start a department when the relationship with Collingswood soured. Collingswood sought to terminate patrols in 2009 - one year ahead of the contract's end - citing a lack of resources.

The relationship also deteriorated over who would handle housing and apartment inspections, and the cost. In the end, Collingswood agreed to continue patrols for one more year.

Collingswood Mayor Jim Maley said it is difficult to put together a successful shared- services agreement.

"Towns have different expectations and reasons for why they want to do it," he said. "I wish them the best."

The Woodlynne department has benefited from collaboration with other agencies.

The state police donated equipment worth about $26,000 that takes fingerprints and photos and electronically sends them to state and national databases.

Brooklawn Capt. Steven Saymon helped establish a computer reporting system and offered Figueroa other law-enforcement guidance.

Figueroa resigned from the Camden force in 2006. He was chief a year earlier when police failed to find three boys who had died in the trunk of a Toyota Camry in one child's backyard. A suit by a former senior officer blamed Figueroa for causing "confusion of communication" among police officers and diluting "limited resources" by setting up a second command post he assigned to a close friend.

An independent review panel cleared the senior officer, who has since been fired, but noted that the two command posts had been set up, causing "a serious breakdown in the command and control."

Earlier this year, the families of the boys reached a $2.25 million settlement with the city.

Figueroa pointed to successes during his tenure in Camden, including jump-starting the department's crime mapping and implementing ComStat, a statistical tool that holds police managers accountable for what happens in their districts. He said he initiated "shoot teams," detectives who were assigned to work during the peak hours for shootings and in areas where shootings had occurred.

"He is going to take this department to the right level," Fuentes said. "I have all the confidence in him."