The Elizabeth Borough Council on Tuesday voted to move ahead with a proposal to disband its police department, according to TribLive news partner WTAE.
The borough currently has one full-time police officer — Chief William Sombo — and a rotating list of 12 to 15 part-time officers.
Council on Tuesday passed a measure to provide a three-month notice of “intent to eliminate the police department,” Mayor Barry Boucher told WTAE. Officials will send that notice to the Teamsters Local Union No. 205.
Officials also approved a joint municipal agreement for law enforcement services between the Borough of Elizabeth and Elizabeth Township, pending final negotiations and solicitors approval. The deal, Boucher said, would allow subcontracted Elizabeth Township police officers to cover Elizabeth Borough.
“It’s not regional policing,” he told WTAE. “It’s subcontracted out, and no one in my police department is guaranteed a job after this.”
