More than two dozen New Jersey law enforcement officers laid off by the Bergen County Bureau of Police Services last month have all been offered jobs by Jersey City.
Mayor Steven Fulop said that by offering the positions to the 26 officers let go due to a reshuffling, it would staff the city's department with experienced cops that won't need training, according to The Record.
"The city's growing, and we want to have a visible police presence," Fulop said in a statement. "We're getting already-trained officers, which is a win . . . there's no downside."
The mayor's proposal would hire officers at a salary porportional with their years of on-the-job experience and must still be approved by the state Civil Service Commission.
Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino told the newspaper that he was immediately onboard when Fulop approached him with the idea.
"I told him, 'Listen, they’re police officers. They’ll serve the City of Jersey City well … there's no rookies there,' " he said. "My reduction-in-force plan had nothing to do with the quality of these people, it had to do with the situation I was in."
Local 49 President Chris Weston countered, saying it was offensive that the Saudino was being associated with the the mayor's "good deed."
"The mayor of Jersey City doesn’t need Michael Saudino’s OK to hire these officers."
