Donated patrol boats may sit idle due to manpower woes

BRICK TOWNSHIP — Brick officials were happy when the township received two fairly new Boston Whalers from the federal government to use as patrol boats.

But due to a police department manpower shortage, there might not be anyone available to pilot them, Police Chief Nils R. Berquist said. "We have the most waterways in the state and we do have some problems on the waterways," the chief said. "It's a function I would really like to be able to staff, but it's a luxury at this point. This past year, we significantly reduced the hours we had police officers on the water, because we simply didn't have the manpower."

The donated 25-foot boats — one 2003 Boston Whaler and a 2005 Boston Whaler — are federal surplus and would have been discarded by the federal government if there were no takers, Business Administrator Scott M. Pezarras said.

Since the government only seems to keep stuff for five years, if it's in good shape, we'll take it," he said. "Even if we don't use it, we could sell it. The federal government was going to just throw it away. But they do offer it to other governmental agencies."

Unlike the old patrol boats, the new boats have center consoles, so only one officer is needed to operate them, Pezarras said.

"They are much newer than the

boats we have," he said.

Councilman Brian DeLuca questioned why the township needed to do water patrols at all.

"I don't understand why we are out there on the waterways when we have the State Police and the Coast Guard," he said.

But Pezarras said the township has the most waterways — 53 linear miles — of any municipality in the state."

The old boats require two persons to operate them, because there is no center console, Pezarras said.

"You can't dock the boat itself," he said. "This way, you can put a boat out with one man."

The new boats only need a few cosmetic repairs before they are ready to go, the chief said.

"There is the possibility they will not go out at all because of our manpower concerns," Berquist said.

Police officers assigned to the patrol boats traditionally respond to emergency and first aid calls on the water, just as they do on the land, he said.

"They do enforcement actions on the water," Berquist said.

The township had planned to new patrol boats in this year's capital budget, but ended up not having to because of the donations, Pezarras said.

"Why buy them when they are already for free," he said. "Free is the best price, especially nowadays."