Councilman wants to cut rookie cop pay

EDITORIAL: A councilman in one of New Jersey’s more affluent towns wants to start the ball rolling on police paycuts by reducing rookie salaries by $5,000-$6,000. Now all has to do is convince his fellow council members and the PBA that his idea is sound before the union contract expires at the end of this year. Good luck there, Bob.

Woodcliff Lake Democrat Councilman Robert Rosenblatt may have an ally in Police Chief Anthony Jannicelli, who suggests municipal officials at least consider cutting the current starter pay, which is roughly $41,600 a year. But Jannicelli has a separate agreement, under which he makes $145,560, records show.

The catch, of course, is that little money is saved in the long run whenever municipalities target bottom-level employees in just about any department.

Add that to the strong likelihood that PBA Local 206 will demand better health benefits in exchange, and you have an issue that could vanish as quickly as it appeared. Or, worse, you get a symbolic gesture that comes back to bite the town.

Should the measure become ordinance, it will take uniformed officers longer to climb the salary ladder — a sure way, some say, to drive talent elsewhere, leaving Woodcliff Lake to hire out-of-towners who can’t afford to live there.

Which leads to the question: Is Rosenblatt serious about saving taxpayer dollars by cutting across the blue line?

Let’s put it this way: Merging the smallish Woodcliff Lake department with any of the others nearby hasn’t been discussed. Longevity pay hasn’t come up, either.

You tell me.

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