Police Departments Practice Belt-Tightening

With the recession continuing, municipal police departments across the state have been forced to tighten their belts, and staffing levels are taking center stage. The drop-off in the number of new hires in Ocean County has been so severe that the fall session of the county's police academy has been canceled. With only four cadets — all new hires from Lakewood Township — scheduled to enroll in an eight-month session that was to have started this month, Ocean County was unable to hold a regular academy session for the first time in decades. read full article in APP.